Two Slayers
by KColl2003
Summary: Sequel To Three Slayers. After Angel, Willow, and Buffy leave for LA., Faith and Kendra have to defend the hellmouth with the help of some new friends and old.
1. Default Chapter

Two Slayers (1/?)  
  
Faith glanced at Kendra, her heart thundering. After the last few quiet months this was their greatest challenge in quite some time and they were facing it without their friends backing them up. Just great. "You ready Ken?" she asked after a nervous lick of her lips.  
  
She was unsurprised when her fellow Slayer's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Yes, a new school year. I can hardly wait!"  
  
Faith rolled her eyes. Typical, she had to end up with a big sis who was a geek. "You think we can blow up this school after our graduation?"  
  
Kendra looked shocked for a second then giggled. "It could become a Slayer tradition."  
  
Faith grinned. "Works for me."  
  
Jonathan stared at his book list; college wasn't quite turning out how he'd hoped. Living away from home and sharing a dorm room with his best friend was cool. But some of the tutors were a lot stricter than he expected, more like school teachers than college lecturers. Especially, he glanced across the auditorium to the severe-looking woman stood behind the desk, Professor Walsh.  
  
He'd taken Psych because he was instinctively good at the sciences but Prof. Walsh was tough, almost like Giles when he was instructing Faith and Ken. Opening the door he shoved his book list into his jacket pocket and hurried out. Maybe he could get to the book shop before it closed. Jonathan grimaced; damn he'd left his wallet in his room. Turning, he rushed back to his dormitory. He and Xander were meeting Faith and Kendra later, but if he hurried he could get the books.  
  
Flinging open the dormitory's double doors he charged in. And fell over an out-stretched foot. As he fell, he curled up into a ball, hitting the ground on his shoulder and rolling up to his feet. He looked up at the four beefy jocks surrounded him and grimaced. Great, just like high school. Remembering what Giles and Xander had taught him about dealing with such situations, he looked the jock he presumed to be the leader dead in the eye as he attempted to step round him.  
  
His heart sank when the jock stepped in his path. "Hey nerd how come a guy like youse has got a hot chick like that babe we saw you with in the college bar last night?"  
  
Jonathan hid a grimace. God, he hated this, every one thought just because he was geeky looking they had the right to try and take Faith off him. "Just lucky I guess."  
  
"Or," the bully leered at his mates. "You must be really rich, to afford the cost of hiring a hot hooker like that."  
  
Jonathan's temper snapped. They could taunt him all they liked but to insult his girl. Stepping forward, he drove his knee upwards into his taunter. The jock's eyes crossed and he let out a gasp before doubling up. Jonathan raised his fist to punch the bully only to be grabbed by his shoulder and thrown into the wall by the thug's companions. "Let's beat some respect into the midget."  
  
"Let's not," suddenly Xander was between him and the quartet of bullies.  
  
"Hey look!" the guy he'd kneed in the balls had struggled to his feet. "It's the nigger lover!"  
  
"Want to repeat that?" Jonathan risked a glance out of the corner of his eye. In the foyer of his dormitory stood the TA from Pscyh class with an equally beefy looking African-American and an athletic looking white kid. "Because," continued the sandy-haired TA. "My friends and I didn't quite catch it all."  
  
"This has got nothing to do with you!" blustered the foursome's leader. Jonathan noted with satisfaction that he was still wincing in pain.  
  
"You go round calling people niggers I say it got everything to do with me," growled the African-American.  
  
"I've told you before," the TA continued. "We don't want your sort around us, take your drugs and get off campus or we'll come looking for you."  
  
The ringleader glared at the TA. When he didn't flinch, the bully turned to the others. "Let's head to The Fish Tank, boys. This is nerdsville!" After shouldering his way past their rescuers, the gang stormed out.  
  
"You forgot this."  
  
Jonathan nodded as he took the proffered file from the smiling TA. "Thanks?"  
  
"Riley, Riley Finn, this is Forrest," he nodded towards the shaven-headed black man. "And this is Graham," he nodded towards the black-haired guy.  
  
"Um, thanks. I'm Jonathan and this is Xander," he introduced himself.  
  
"Good to meet you both," Riley smiled. "There's a party at our dorm on the weekend, would you two be interested?"  
  
Xander glanced at Jonathan and shrugged. "Can we bring our girl-friends?"  
  
"Sure, we've just transferred in," Forrest replied. "So we'd like to meet new people."  
  
"Great," Xander beamed at them. "Where and when?" "Lowell House, Saturday night, 22:00 hours?" Forrest replied.  
  
"We might be a little later," Jonathan apologised. "But we'll be there."  
  
"Great," Riley smiled at him. "Professor Walsh was impressed with you, said you had a good grasp of the basics and asked intelligent questions."  
  
"Damn man," Forrest winked. "Praise off the Prof! You're a future Noble Prize winner!" the African-American turned to his companions. "We going?"  
  
"Yeah," Riley nodded towards them. "See you Saturday, guys."  
  
"Yeah," Xander nodded. "Thanks guys."  
  
Jonathan looked at his friend, his brow furrowing as he noticed Xander's confused expression. "What's up Xander?"  
  
"I don't know," his friend replied slowly. "But when they turned up, they moved into a military flanking position, and 22:00 hours? That's something someone in the military would say, there's something off about them.  
  
"Why did you invite them Riley?"  
  
Riley grinned at his friend. "Because dear Graham," he put on his best Walsh voice. "This operation is meant to be top-secret and a house that doesn't hold frat parties where new members and friends are invited, really stands out. Besides," his friend's eyes softened. "That Jonathan kid seemed like the sort who isn't exactly over-burdened with friends. And he seems like a nice guy, a little shy but nice."  
  
"Doesn't hurt that him and his bud are dating a couple of kick-ass babes."  
  
Riley laughed at Forrest's comment. "Makes it less painless," he agreed.  
  
"That was a great party tonight!"  
  
Xander chuckled at Jonathan's enthusiasm. "Yeah," he agreed. "It was a shame the G-Man wouldn't let the girls come."  
  
"Yeah," his friend shrugged before shaking his head. "They hunt demons and he thinks they're too young for a frat party? What's up with that?"  
  
"Just being the over-protective dad I guess," Xander replied. He chuckled as he remembered Faith's language as they'd left, he swore Giles was blushing. His smile died as he noticed something. "Jon, trouble."  
  
Tara shivered as she hurried down the dark street, it wasn't cold or even lukewarm, and yet there was something about this place that sent tingles down her spine. She'd made a huge mistake, her pa was right, she didn't fit in the outside world, she should have stayed at home.  
  
But she was better than that, she didn't want to spend the rest of her life as an unpaid drudge for her. She'd been so excited when the acceptance letter had come from Sunnydale, it wasn't Harvard or anywhere like that, but it was escape. But now...  
  
She tensed up as a trio of youths stepped around her. "What's a pretty girl like you doing out a night on your own?" asked one, a beefy youth maybe two years her senior.  
  
Tara kept her eyes. "G..going t..to m..my h...hotel," she replied, her voice quavering with fear, she was always nervous around people but these men were different, somehow scarier.  
  
The man laughed, the harsh sound sending her heart racing. "T..to y..your hotel?" the man laughed. "A...a p...pretty t...thing l...like y..you," suddenly her assailant smiled cruelly. "I don't think so. We're going to party and then," she screamed as the man's face morphed into something hideous. "You're going to die." She opened her mouth to scream but then the man's fist exploded against her head, sending her plummeting to the ground.  
  
"Shit."  
  
Jonathan glanced at his friend. "Doesn't look good does it?"  
  
Xander shook his head. "Ten vampires, two of us, and one prisoner? You've been taking lessons in understatement from G-man," his friend whispered back. "Go, get help. I'll stay here and watch."  
  
Jonathan nodded, then stood. "Don't do anything stupid."  
  
Xander grinned. "When have I done anything stupid?"  
  
"Only all the whole time," Xander muttered to himself as he watched his friend run away. The night they need them, he forgets his mobile phone and Jonathan's battery runs out. "Harris' law."  
  
He grimaced as he saw the leader of the vampires begin to taunt the girl, telling her in graphic detail what she was going to do. Sighing slightly, he stood and checked his weapons. "I'm not going to do anything stupid," he muttered. "Suicidal yes, but stupid? Kendra's going to kill me," he scowled. "If I'm lucky and live through the next ten minutes."  
  
After a shake of the head he sauntered over to the warehouse door and raised an eyebrow. "No guards? Are we talking amateur hour here?" Raising a foot he kicked the door sending rotting wood flying and the door swinging open. "Hi guys," he smiled as he entered. God, he hoped they didn't sense his nervousness. "I'm a neighbour, understand you've got a vermin infestation."  
  
Sunday's head snapped up a second a second before the door flew open, sensing the heartbeat of the human. Her lips parted in an appreciative smile as she examined the handsome teen with an air of capability and rugged physique stood in the ruined doorway. Tonight was just getting better and better. First she gets the gem of a runaway with considerable but untapped magical potential. Then, this hunk walks in. "Get him," she ordered.  
  
The youth's chocolate brown eyes darkened. "Oh I wouldn't do that," his voice was chilling. "See," her eyes widened as the young man began to juggle a stake. He knowingly walks into a den with ten vampires and starts causally throw his stake from hand to hand, who was he?  
  
"Who are you?" she demanded, slightly unnerved by the youth's air of apparently unassailable confidence.  
  
The youth's grin widened, growing akin to a shark's. "I was there when the Master fell, ugly guy, nice personality though. I've backed off Angelus. I was there when Kaiktosis and Trick bought it. My girl-friend staked Spike when he messed with me," the youth grinned. "In short don't piss me off. So why don't you guys mosey out of town, and we'll forget all about -," the youth looked down as his stake clattered to the ground. "Oh shit." He looked back up, his face pale.  
  
"Get him!"  
  
A moment after her cry her two minions nearest the door leapt towards the teen. Sunday's brow furrowed when the youth grinned suddenly. What was he grinning for? "Lucky I had a back-up." The teen's hands came up. In his right, he held another stake, in the left a water pistol. A spurt of water erupted from the muzzle of the gun catching first one and then her other minion in the face. Instantly the two demons screamed, clawing madly at their eyes even as the youth expertly staked them. "Who's next?"  
  
"Get him!" Sunday screamed, she couldn't believe this.  
  
At her screech, her other vampires sprang into action, crowding the youth, he managed to catch another two with his water pistol and stake one of the injured vampires but finally he was overpowered and beaten to the ground. Seeing one of her minions morph out to bite the crumpled youth she let out a shriek. "No!"  
  
Her minion turned to her, a look of confusion on his stupid face. "He killed three of us!"  
  
"Exactly," she snapped. God why were her minions such idiots? "We need to replace them. And he's a human who managed to kill three of you, he has potential." Maybe he could be another Angelus, such strength. He was going to be her favourite, that was for sure. "I'm going to turn him."  
  
Suddenly there was an explosion of wood behind her. "Like hell!" Sunday's head snapped around to see a ravishing brunette appear through the back of the building. Her skin crawled as she noted an aura of power around the woman. What was she?  
  
A dark-skinned beauty joined the intruder. "You'll not be turning my Xander," she declared.  
  
Sunday swallowed. There was something intimidating about these two girls, almost like she was a rabbit meeting a pair of hunting wolves. She risked a glance over her shoulder to see a short teen and a dangerous looking middle-aged man entering behind her minions.  
  
Suddenly the brunette spoke. "Go and help them look after Xan Ken," the brunette's coal-black eyes zeroed in on her. "I'll take care of queen bitch."  
  
Even as the last word left her cupid-bow mouth, the husky-sounding girl moved forward at a rate of knots impossible for a human. Before she had time to react, the brunette's foot was spin kicking into her jaw, knocking her backwards. "Who are you?" she gasped through thundering pain.  
  
The raven-haired beauty's face creased in amusement. "You don't know who I am?" Sunday ducked beneath a left jab to the nose, countering with a left hook that her adversary caught on the shoulder before catching her with a heel kick, staggering her. "Boy, have you got shit-poor luck," Sunday barely managed to duck under a spin kick and twist away from her opponent's follow-up right cross. "My name's Faith, babe," the brunette winked before driving the point of her elbow into the side of Sunday's face, sidestepping her attempted retaliatory right karate chop, grabbing her wrist and twisting it back until the warehouse reverberated to the sound of breaking bone. "I'm a Slayer."  
  
Instantly all thoughts of the crashing pain in her now useless right arm fled to be replaced by a gnawing terror. "And," suddenly the brunette's eyes chilled. "You tried to hurt my family." A thudding uppercut lifted her off her feet dumping her on the ground. "Nobody hurts my family." The last thing she saw was the stake arching down to her chest.  
  
"A..and that's my story," Tara finished before looking nervously at her rescuers. Tonight had been bewildering, first kidnapped by vampires, then Xander, that was his name, had tried to rescue her, and then a pair of uber- babes had rescued her and Xander. And then they'd brought her to the Englishman's place and told her about Slayers.  
  
"Where you staying Tiger?"  
  
Tara blushed when the raven-haired Slayer spoke to her, instantly her heart began to beat a little faster. The girl was stronger, more confident than those she normally attracted to, but when she looked into those eyes . "At the motel on seventh street."  
  
"That place's a shit-hole," Faith scowled, frightening her a little with her intensity. "No fucking way a bud of mine's staying there," Tara looked up from the carpet where her gaze had inevitably descending, they were friends? She'd never had friends before, Pa said it distracted from her work. "G, please," Faith fluttered her eyelashes.  
  
"Faith-."  
  
"She's got nowhere else to stay," Faith wheedled. "You didn't let me stay there and Tar's got nowhere or nobody else in town. And she doesn't have my powers either."  
  
The middle-aged man sighed. "Very well, why do I bother arguing?" Giles turned to her. "Everybody here pitches in on the Slaying, you don't have to help patrol but you do have to help research-."  
  
"I...I'll help," she interrupted.  
  
The Englishman looked delighted. "That's splendid. You can Xander's old room."  
  
Xander sighed theatrically. "Ah, how quickly I'm replaced."  
  
Faith snorted before winking at her and ruffling Xander's hair. "Yeah, and our new roomie's way prettier too."  
  
"And I bet she doesn't leave the toilet seat up," commented the other Slayer.  
  
"Oh dear lord," muttered the Englishman. "I thought things were bad when it was two men and two girls, now I'm really in trouble."  
  
Faith winked. "Don't ya know it G." 


	2. 2

A/N: Thanks to Jens. I'm definitely sticking to English speaking (and American) villains from now on. Any mistakes are his (you think I'm taking the blame when there's a German to do it for me?).  
  
Two Slayers (2/?)  
  
Jul '99 Venezuelan Jungle  
  
"We have it sir!" Juan Hierro beamed at his benefactor, a German industrialist by the name of Fritz von Erich.  
  
"Excellent," the German's craggy face split into a smile that didn't quite reached into his serpentine eyes. "Bring it here."  
  
Before moving Juan took a second to wipe some of the sweat from his forehead. All this time, four years but his father's beliefs had been proven true. The old legends had some truth within them, if the Gem of Amara existed then maybe did the vampiros! "Here it is sir," he passed the ring to the powerfully built man.  
  
His sponsor smiled at him. "Danke schoen Juan. Oh, and by the way," Juan's mouth opened to scream but only a croak came out when his benefactor's face rippled into something demonic. "Time to die."  
  
Die Faust scooped up the ring from the muddy ground and slid it on, noticing with interest how the ring's silver band stretched to fit onto its stubby finger. Taking an unneeded breath he stepped into the light and smiled slightly when nothing happened. "The Hellmouth next."

* * *

Kendra grinned at her sister Slayer. "Five of them, doesn't seem fair really does it?"  
  
"Not really no sis," Faith spat her gum out and winked at the lead vampire. "We gonna get this done guys? I only ask 'cause girl's got a trig test tomorrow and a wicked fierce pa who says I've got to keep my grades up otherwise he won't buy me a Harley for graduating."  
  
Kendra's head snapped away from inspecting the vampires and to her Bostonian counterpart. "Giles is definitely buying you a Harley if you graduate?" she asked incredulously.  
  
Faith winked at her. "Well he definitely won't buy me one if I don't."  
  
"Do you know what we are?" demanded the group's exasperated leader.  
  
"Vampires," she replied. "Do you know who we are?" Faith pouted for effect, Kendra grinned before continuing. "We're the Slayers."  
  
"Yep," Faith smirked. "I love it when they get that terrified look in their eyes, makes a girl all tingly."

* * *

Die Faust's lips curled up in disdain as he watched the two Slayers tear through the five vampires with ease. "Pathetic, quite pathetic," he muttered. He had thought taking the Hellmouth would be a simple matter and from there as a power-base he could strike against that Irish bastard Angelus, rip him apart for past indignities, but now.... He winced as the last of the quintet exploded into dust. In his six hundred years he'd killed four Slayers but these two were better than any of those. The neger fought with a discipline and focus that was positively frightening in its intensity while the other girl took an unequalled joy and pride in her kills. Together they were formidable, unbeatable even.  
  
He smiled cruelly, unless you had the Gem of Amara. And then things were quite different. "It's only polite to introduce oneself," he muttered as he opened the door of his tinted window limo and stepped out.

* * *

Giles nodded in appreciation of the decorations that he and the others had put up for Kendra's 18th birthday after 'blowing off', he shuddered at the abuses the yanks put his mother tongue under, patrol. His girls might not have had many birthdays ahead of them, his heart clenched painfully at the thought, but he was going to make sure every one of them was special, to make up for the neglect and abuse they'd respectively suffered. It was the least any self-respecting father could do.  
  
His brow furrowed with concern when he realised that at least one member of the Scooby gang wasn't getting into the party spirit. Moving across the room he dropped onto the couch beside the downcast girl, wincing slightly at her slight nervous flicker. "Tara," he kept his voice soft so not to alarm the already skittish honey-blonde. "Why aren't you joining in?" the girl had had trouble settling in over the last two weeks, whenever he and Faith had one of their heated debates or the two Slayers descended into their bickering, the newcomer would retreat into her shell, a look of fear on her face, as if expecting the outbreak of violence. She had started to find her feet a little, she and Jonathan got on well, and she idolised Faith but something had obviously traumatised her. "Are you ill?"  
  
"N...no, it's just it's Kendra's birthday. You've all been so good to me, and I don't have anything to give her."  
  
"Now then", Giles ignored both the girl's slight flinch and his own reticence to give her shoulders a comforting squeeze. "My dear mother always said, 'Rupert'," he heightened his voice range a few octaves and gained the hoped for smile from his audience of one. "'Rupert the best gift you can give is the gift of friendship'. However as a child I never subscribed to that view, always wanting another train for my set. And," he produced a small package. "So I got you to give her."  
  
Tara's eyes widened. "What's this?"  
  
"A couple of Cds from those infernal bloody boy bands she listens to. About the only good thing you can say about them is at least that sodding death metal crap Faith laughingly calls music."  
  
"I can't repay you."  
  
"My mother had another saying, one that I whole-heartedly agree with 're- payment of favours is never needed between friends'. However," Giles smiled as he came to a decision that he'd been mulling over ever since the destruction of Sunnydale High. "If you insist there is something you can do for me. I've become rather bored with my current status as gentleman of leisure, to this is end I've decided to open a magic shop. However I will need an assistant."  
  
"A magic shop?" the girl looked alarmed. "Me working at a magic shop?"  
  
"Just at the weekends, nothing to interfere with your studies," he hastened to reassure the worried-looking girl. "Get you some extra money to buy whatever things young girls like." He didn't know what they spent their money on and to be honest, given Faith's lewd winks and suggestive remarks he really didn't want to. More to the point, Tara needed something to make her more confident. Perhaps the cut and thrust of dealing with strangers on a daily basis would be just the ticket.  
  
"I..I'll give it a try." Worry warred with anticipation in the girl's gentle eyes.  
  
"Then it's settled." Standing, he glanced away and shoved the nagging worry that his charges were late. "Plenty of time yet," he muttered. Still, he couldn't help but hope that the girls hadn't run into anything they couldn't handle.

* * *

Faith's head snapped towards the stranger. "Oh crap," she muttered. The giant stood several inches over six feet with the sort of build that would make a WWF wrestler jealous. But the power he was radiating, Kakistos would be hard pressed to match him, which meant he was old. "Ken."  
  
"I see him," she relaxed slightly when her sister moved up beside her. "Let's get him slain, then head home. What do you say?"  
  
"Sounds like a plan Ken." Faith agreed. God, she was glad the guys had given this patrol a miss. "Flank attack?" her sis nodded. "Go!"  
  
Charging in unison, her on the right and Kendra on the left, they met the on-rushing vampire. Faith grunted as the bastard's shovel-sized fist slammed into her forehead, knocking her back a step before he backhanded her sis into a gravestone, breaking it in two. Faith spat blood out of her mouth, fuck he was a strong bastard.  
  
Suddenly she grinned. But she was the mother-fucking Slayer and after Kakistos, this prick was nothing. Noting the smirking bastard had moved into a boxing stance she did the same and winked. "How about it ugly," she winked and cracked her neck. "Ready for a little one on one?"  
  
The vamp let out an inarticulate roar and rushed forward. At the last second Faith left her feet, leaping into a spin-kick that snapped the demon's head to one side. Upon landing, her knees bent and feet spread to lessen the impact, she ducked underneath the demon's right cross and slammed a trio of lightning body shots into her rival's stomach. "Float like a butterfly, hurt like a bitch!"  
  
Her crowing ended abruptly when her adversary caught her with an elbow to the head, knocking her to one knee. "Shit!" Blocking the knee coming up at her face with her forearm and grabbing it with her free hand, she flung the vampire onto his back. "Not the face man! That makes it personal!"  
  
Shaking away the stars circling her head away she surged upright and charged the demon only for him to roll to his feet and away from her palm strike to the face. "Who the fuck are you anyway?"  
  
"Such foul language from such a pretty mouth," the demon taunted. "If I had the time to train you you'd soon be singing a far sweeter tune."  
  
Faith's skin crawled at the vampire's words. "Never happen," she blustered. She feinted a hook to the head before going for a leg sweep, taking the vampire at the ankles. Grinning at the demon's grunt as it hit the ground, dust flying everywhere, she drew her stake, rushed to the vampire's side, and plunged her stake into its unbeating heart.  
  
Her eyes widened in shock when the vampire continued to grin up at her. "What the -." Suddenly her world exploded in pain as the vampire simultaneously grabbed her left breast and viciously squeezed while repeatedly bludgeoning her face with his other fist. Finally the vampire released his grip on her chest choosing to grab her by the neck and throw her, rag-doll like, to the ground.  
  
"Who the fuck are you?" Faith demanded as she gazed up at her attacker, too stunned and pained to move. Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out her vial of holy water and threw it into the vampire's face. Instead of the expected flames, the vampire just kicked her in the ribs, driving the wind from her battered body. Why couldn't she kill him?  
  
"My name is Die Faust!" the vampire glared down at her, holy water dripping down his vamped out face. "And you will be my fifth."  
  
"Not likely!" half a gravestone flew through the air to crash into the vampire's head, knocking him to the floor. In an instance, her sister was by her side, dragging her to her feet. "Can you run?"  
  
Faith looked at the vampire. "From him I can."

* * *

Heart pounding, Faith unlocked their front door, Kendra standing guard for her. At the third attempt the keys found their way. "We're in!" she gasped. She just hoped the vamp couldn't walk in uninvited. "Lounge?" her sister nodded in agreement. She pushed the door open and stepped wearily through.  
  
"Surprise!"  
  
Suddenly there were bodies all around her. Faith's fist swung out in an instinctive back-hand at the nearest face. At the last second, she realised it was Xander and pulled her arm back. Still, her fist connected, knocking her friend into the couch. "Fuck Xand!" She hurried over to her dazed friend and helped him to his unsteady feet. "You five by five?"  
  
Her friend smiled then winced. "Any one ever tell you you punch like a girl? Because they were lying."  
  
"Good lord," she turned to look at G. "What did you two run into?"  
  
Faith winced as she registered the decorations. Shit, Kendra's birthday party, yeah she'd forgotten about that. "This vamp called Dick Fast, or some such shit, threw Ken half way across the graveyard, then beat the crap out of me." Her eyes widened. "I staked the son-of-a-bitch, threw holy water in his face, nothing."  
  
"The vampire's name, according to your description is in fact Die Faust," Giles sighed. This was bad, very bad. Ignoring Faith's muttered 'whatever' he continued. "He was born Josef Muller, a champion Bavarian bare-knuckles fighter, wrestler, and weight-lifter of the 1480s turned by none other than the Master-."  
  
"Oh great!" Xander exclaimed. "A trip down Memory Lane!"  
  
Again, he ignored the comment. "For almost three hundred years he served his Sire loyally, earning the name 'Die Faust' – 'The Fist' serving as his sire's enforcer, allowing the Master to take over a huge swathe of central Europe, his demonic empire ranging from Brussels to Minsk and all the way down to Bucharest. When the Master simply allowed Darla to run away with Angelus without retribution, he grew disgusted with what he perceived as his Sire's weakness and left. For fifty years, he and Angelus waged a war across mainland Europe, leaving a trail of corpses behind. Then he moved to Africa and became known by the locals as 'Death Comes At Night'. Roughly thirty years ago he was sighted in Latin America but since then nothing."  
  
"Well baby," Faith winced. "He's back now."  
  
"Giles," Kendra looked terrified. This wasn't the birthday he'd planned. "Why couldn't Faith stake him?"  
  
"Yes there is more bad news I'm afraid," Faith groaned at his words. "There's been a legend that Attila the Hun-."  
  
"Wait!" Faith's eyes gleamed eagerly. "I know this one, we did him in school last year! He's the leader of the Huns who brought Rome to its knees in the 5th Century AD right?"  
  
"Correct," Giles allowed himself a slight smile at the Slayer's pride at his praise for academic achievement. She had changed. "At least that's what the history books tell us. Council legends have it rather different. In their writings Attila was a vampire with the ability to walk in light, invulnerable to attack, empowered by the Gem of Amara-."  
  
"That ring around Die's finger?"  
  
Giles nodded at Faith's question. "Precisely."  
  
"So," Xander had a look of concentration on his face. "How come Attila's not king of the world?"  
  
"He didn't see Titanic?" Seeing their looks, Cordy bristled. "What? If it's good enough for Leonardo, it's good enough for some stinky vampire!"  
  
Giles sighed, sometimes that girl made his head hurt. "Legend has it that one of his subchiefs, sickened by his leader's butchery, challenged him in the mid-day sun, and beaten down by his master, managed to chop his hand off with his dying stroke. Instantly the vampire exploded into flames and died."  
  
"Where did this Gem come from?" Xander asked.  
  
Giles grimaced, he hated questions he didn't know the answer too. "No body knows."  
  
"Well," Kendra's eyes gleamed dangerously. "At least we know where the ring is now."  
  
"And," Faith broke in. "How to beat the bastard."

* * *

Josef smiled and rose as the humans entered his block, taken over from some squatters. It hadn't taken the Slayers long to track him down, but then it wasn't as if he hadn't left a trail of corpses for them to follow. His smile grew wider as he surveyed the group. A purposeful looking Englishman, he recognised the sort, the sort that built Empires and won World Wars, two average looking youths, a striking beauty that had to be a cheerleader, oh, he'd keep her around for a while, the things he would do with her, and a terrified looking girl. He tutted as he looked at the Slayers and shook his head. "Frauleins, is the best you can do?"  
  
"Best we can do?" replied the coffee-skinned beauty glared at him. "Ever wonder what happened to the Master, Kaiktosis, or William the Bloody? They helped take them down."  
  
Josef' eyes narrowed, this was more interesting. "Besides," the raven- haired Slayer flicked her hair back. "Don't worry about them. Worry about us."  
  
Suddenly the two Slayers dived to the ground. Behind them, the Watcher and the taller of the two male teens brought up crossbows, aimed and fired. Josef snatched the bolts out of the air with contemptuous ease but was unready to meet the neger Slayer's drop-kick to his chest.  
  
Grunting at the impact he staggered backwards. Instantly the two Slayers were up and at him, bombarding him with a barrage of fists and feet. Finally he managed a backfist knocking the neger schlampe off-balance. Eyes gleaming, he slammed a foot into her groin, the neger turned grey and crumpled to the ground.  
  
"Bastard!" eyes blazing, the other Slayer increased the intensity of her attack, a right uppercut snapping his head back and a knifehand to the jaw hitting him with all the impact of a wrecking ball. Stunned, he was surprised when the Slayer didn't continue her attack immediately, choosing instead to grab his right hand.  
  
His ring hand. Josef' eyes widened in realisation. "I think not mein schatzi!" he growled before clubbing her in the side of the head with a left hook and driving his knee into the girl's ribs. The brunette let out a pained gasp before falling to her knees, her face showing the effects of both this and their previous battle. Grinning triumphantly he slammed a fist into her head, knocking her on the back. First this one, and then, he glanced across at the neger, the other.  
  
"No!" the Englishman stepped into his path, a grimly determined look on his face and a sword in his hand. The sword came up, Josef grabbed the sword arm at the wrist and drove his forehead into its wielder's face. Snarling contemptuously, he flung the limp body to the floor. Time enough to deal with the humans once the Slayers were dead.  
  
"LEVIOSA!" suddenly the shy-looking girl let out a scream. To Josef' amazement the Gem of Amara flew off his finger and fell to the ground.  
  
"Verdammte schlampe!" Eyes gleaming, he started towards the girl only to hear the sound of a crossbow being fired behind him. Spinning round he snatched the bolt out of mid-air before letting out a frustrated bellow, rushing past the youth, shoving him to the floor, and leaping out of the second-floor window. "Scheisse!" But he'd be back and they'd all pay.

* * *

"I...I'm a demon," Tara didn't raise her gaze from the floor. She'd swore she'd never use her powers for fear of being further infected or others being hurt, but when that vampire had been about to kill Kendra and Faith, something had just snapped inside her. "I'll get my things and leave."  
  
"Ah bullshit." Tara looked up to see Faith blocking her path, a resolved expression on her face. "You're not going anywhere."  
  
"P...please I won't hurt anyone," she pleaded. "I...I won't hurt anyone. Just let me go."  
  
"You misunderstand Faith," Kendra said from behind her. "We're not going to hurt you. Whoever told you that you are a demon was mistaken, you're a human."  
  
"B..but my pa sai-," said Tara's voice trailed off as she realised it had been a trick to make her stay. The last thing she heard before fainting was Faith's panicked scream.

* * *

"G-man," Xander looked up at him, the Scooby having caught Tara as she fell. "Is she going to be alright?"  
  
"She'll be fine son," he replied, hiding the boiling rage he felt behind a calm facade. If he ever got his hands on Tara's father there wouldn't be enough left for a DNA sample.  
  
"G," he glanced across at a worried looking Faith. "What is she?"  
  
"She's a Wicca," he replied. He really should have sensed it, probably would if he'd been looking for it, considerable power too. More than either him or Jonathan. Not nearly as much as Willow, but a far more stable personality and disciplined mind. "If she wants I'll teach her. Kendra, could you help Xander take her up to her room?"  
  
"Sure Giles." Once the two had disappeared he turned to Faith. "What should we do about this?" she asked, lifting the Gem.  
  
"Only a complete raving idiot would keep it," he replied. "Destroy it."

* * *

Giles looked up from his book and cursed. "Bloody marvellous," he muttered. Even when the kids had gone out for a picnic on a balmy Saturday morning he couldn't get any peace. "Be there in a minute," he called.  
  
Three days had passed since the destruction of the Gem of Amara and the besting of Die Faust, in those three days, he mused as he hurried to his front door, Tara had slowly begun to come out of her shell. Simple things really, she still stuttered but entered the conversations more, would contribute ideas, and answer back when Faith or Xander teased her.  
  
Opening the door he furrowed his brow to see a short, fat man in his mid forties. "Yes?"  
  
"Mr. Giles?" he nodded, the man continued. "My name's Archibald Letchford, I represent the Watcher's Council."  
  
"Oh?" Although Giles kept his expression calm he felt his hackles rise. "And what's your business here?"  
  
"I understand Kendra turned 18 this week? I'm here to discuss arrangements for her 18th birthday test."  
  
"You better come in." The moment the man was over the threshold, Giles grabbed him by the collar and shoved him face-first into the wall before slamming a fist into the man's kidney. His opponent attempted to turn to face him, but a well-aimed kick to the hamstrings sent him crashing to the ground.  
  
Giles waited until the man was on his hands and knees before driving the point of his boot into his adversary's groin. Instantly the man doubled up and began drying heaving. His lips parted in a snarl, Giles grabbed the Watcher by his collar and flipped him onto his back. "You are not testing either of my girls," he growled before pounding his fists into the man's face, shattering his nose, bloodying his mouth, and sending teeth flying. "Tell that to bloody Travers." Grabbing the whimpering man by his collar and the seat of his pants, he flung him onto the lawn outside before walking out and planting a foot into the man's ribs, grinning slightly at the resulting crack. "Now piss off you bugger!"  
  
"Mr Giles! What is going on here!"  
  
He turned to his neighbour peering over the fence at him. "Salesman trying to sell me Cliff Richard's back catalogue," he explained. "Wouldn't take no for an answer."


	3. 3

Two Slayers (3A/?)  
  
"But you're coming to the party tonight right?"  
  
Giles sighed at Faith's whining. "Faith, I hardly think that a 45 year old respected businessman should be going to a frat -."  
  
"Who says you're respected?"  
  
He chose to ignore Kendra's smart-alec remark. A year ago, before Faith had smashed into their lives, the girl wouldn't have been so infernally cheeky. But then it was an improvement to her just sitting in the corner only coming out of her shell when Xander spoke to her. But only just. "Faith-."  
  
"Oh come on G," the transplanted Bostonian wheedled. "You're bringing Tara after you close up anyhow. You might as well come in, it'll be fun, just for some drinky poos?"  
  
"Drinky poos?" Faith had been watching rather too many old movies. Realising his two adoptive daughters weren't going to give in, he nodded. "Very well."  
  
"Wicked!" Faith put her fingers to her mouth whistled. "Tar!" The Wicca hurried out of the stock room, a quizzical expression on her face. "I've got you a date!" the brunette winked at him. "G!"  
  
"FAITH!" the Bostonian giggled before running off, her sister following her. "I swear one day I'll kill her." A smile on his face he turned to Tara. "And what pray tell will you will be wearing tonight?"  
  
"What are you wearing tonight Cordelia?" Kendra asked.  
  
"Wonder Woman," the cheerleader held up her flimsy costume.  
  
"Fuck C," Faith's eyes widened. "That little spandex you're going to have the guys panting for you."  
  
The cheerleader showed off her million-dollar smile. "That's the general idea. What are you two wearing?"  
  
Faith held up her outfit of cavalry cap, buckskin shorts, and denim shirt. "Calamity Jane, Johnny's going as Wild Bill."  
  
Kendra held up her outfit, her cheeks reddening at her outfit's scantiness. "I'm going to as a cave-girl-."  
  
Suddenly her sister snatched her costume out of her hand. "Wow! Xman," she lunged at her outfit only for her fellow Slayer to throw her costume to Cordelia, "is going to be a lucky boy tonight! Everything's gonna be hanging out!"  
  
"FAITH!"  
  
"It looks great doesn't it?" Edward looked around the fraternity house with satisfaction. A couple of their frat's medical students had stolen skeletons to hang by the window, a cauldron filled with punch stood on the table beside the nibbles, chainsaws stood in each corner, and spiders and bats hung from the ceiling. But best of all was the authentic-looking pentagram in the centre of the floor.  
  
"Ow! Damn it!" Edward glanced across at Chaz to see blood dripping from his fellow frat member's palm onto the floor.  
  
Edward's eyes widened. "Be careful," grabbing a rag he hurried over to his friend. "You've got blood on the pentagram!" Suddenly he grinned. He'd been worried the blood would mess up the occult pattern but it looked even more real now.  
  
"Hi Xander," Kendra looked quickly around the campus as her boyfriend and Jonathan hurried towards her, Faith, and Cordelia before glancing shyly at the ground and opening her cape to reveal her leopard skin bikini beneath. "You like my outfit?"  
  
"Ugh, ah, uh."  
  
"I think you've broken him Ken-. Hey!" her sister slapped a drooling Jonathan across the back of the head. "What are you doing looking at my sis like that?"  
  
A chagrined-looking Jonathan began rubbing his head. "You know I only have eyes for you. And why couldn't you wear something like that?"  
  
Faith snorted. "Civic responsibility."  
  
"What?" Everyone turned towards Faith.  
  
The brunette winked. "Didn't want to start a riot."  
  
Tuning out the other couple's bickering, Kendra returned her attention to her boy-friend. "You like my outfit?"she pressed.  
  
"You look great," Xander enthused before kissing her on the forehead. "You like mine?"  
  
Kendra stared curiously at her boyfriend's tuxedo and wrinkled her nose. "It looks very elegant, who are you supposed to be?"  
  
"Why dear," Xander linked arms with her and winked. "I'm 007, licensed to sweep you off your feet."  
  
"Ah Mr. Bond," she giggled. "I'm shaken and stirred."  
  
"Well naturally my dear." Suddenly Xander's eyes narrowed as a bunch of guys dressed in fatigues ran past them, one of the troops nearly knocking Jonathan over. "Hey guys, party's this way!"  
  
"Damn," Forrest commented through his mouthpiece. "Did you see that Chase girl's outfit? Makes a guy wish he was heading the same way she was."  
  
"Keep your mind on operations," Riley ordered as he hefted his assault rifle. But Cordelia had looked good.  
  
"Living easy, living free  
  
Season ticket on a one-way ride  
  
Asking nothing, leave me be  
  
Taking everything in my stride  
  
Don't need reason, don't need rhyme  
  
Ain't nothing I would rather do  
  
Going down, party time  
  
My friends are gonna be there too  
  
I'm on the highway to hell"  
  
"Sounds like this party's really rocking," Xander enthused as he opened the door to the frat house and allowed the others in, smiling slightly at his girl-friend as she walked past. He was the luckiest guy alive. "Damn," he commented as he looked inside, saw the decorations, and watched as shrieking party-goers ran through the house's corridors. "Atmospheric."  
  
Kendra exchanged a worried glance with Faith. There was something wrong here, her Slayer sense was going crazy. "It's not atmosphere," she declared. "Something's wrong, we better get out of here and get Giles."  
  
"Um," Xander broke in. "We've got a problem, the door's disappeared."  
  
"Don't be ridiculous," Kendra's voice trailed off as she looked behind her at her boyfriend to see a blank wall where the frat house door had been.  
  
"Damn it X!" Faith swore. "You moved the door!"  
  
"That's right, blame me!"  
  
"I put a spell on you  
  
Because you're mine.  
  
I can't stand the things that you do.  
  
No, no, no, I ain't lyin'. No."  
  
Giles smiled to himself as heard the classic sounds of Credence Clearwater Revival blasting out from the frat house. At least they had decent soddin' music, that was something. This truly was going to be hell.  
  
Sighing slightly, he turned to his companion. "Your outfit is most fetching Tara," he complimented.  
  
The girl coloured. "F..Faith chose it."  
  
Giles resisted the urge to groan. He should have guessed that the daring valkyire outfit of horned helmet, steel breastplate with conical breasts, leather mini-skirt, black ankle-length cape wouldn't be Tara's choice, rather one of his daughter's ham-fisted attempts to 'chill Tar out'. She meant well, but as he well knew, Faith could be pushy. "Tara," he admonished softly, "if you're not comfortable you shouldn't let Faith push you around."  
  
Tara looked up at him, a thoughtful expression on the Wicca's face. "Put your foot down you mean?"  
  
He nodded, ah she'd got it. "Precisely."  
  
"Like you do?" Tara's eyes widened innocently. "Faith and Kendra don't have you wrapped round their fingers?"  
  
"That's different," he muttered. And it was, both girls had had so little happiness in their lives, in Faith's case so much actual pain, he wanted to do all he could to somehow make it up to them. That and they were both fated for a short life, his heart rebelled at the thought, he wanted to make their time as joyful as possible.  
  
"S...sure it is," Tara stopped. "Giles!"  
  
His mouth dropped open when he saw a screaming face through one of the windows and then the window disappear. "Bloody hell," he breathed. He looked down at the tool in his arm and lifted it to cut through the wall. It was lucky he'd dressed as Jason from 'The Friday the 13th' movies. "Step back Tara," he instructed. 


	4. 3B

Two Slayers (3B/?)  
  
"What the fuck?" Faith felt her legs buckle beneath her as her strength, the thing that made her special, seeped from her body. No, she took a breath, she had a family now, G, Ken, and Jonathan thought she was special, no matter what. Gathering her courage she started to look for her family. "Jon, Ken, Xan? Guys?"

* * *

Xander stared at the whiskey bottle in his hand, his head aching at the sobbing of the woman beside him. His hand clenched in a fist to shut her damn yapping. He shook his head and flung the bottle into the wall. "I'm not my father," he muttered before wrapping an arm around Cordelia. "Come on Cordy, let's find the others."

* * *

Jonathan forced away the voices taunting him. He wasn't a friendless geek anymore, he had a gorgeous girl-friend, and plenty of friends, whatever the voices said. But the others had run off and left him. No, he shook his head, it was the magic it had to be. "Got to find the others."

* * *

Kendra stared around, her body shaking. Where was Xander? He wouldn't just leave her would he? She swallowed. "Got to be the magic," she muttered. If some damn mage had taken her Xander away from her, he'd pay.

* * *

"We're in," Giles announced, wiping sweat from his forehead. Using a chainsaw was harder than one would expect.  
  
They'd barely stepped through the newly opened portal when another wall appeared before them. Tara turned to him and snapped. "W...well what are you waiting for?"  
  
Giles rolled his eyes. Another bossy woman, sodding marvellous, just what his life needed to be complete. He had the bloody set.

* * *

"W..we all here?" Faith voice shook, she smiled gratefully as her pale- faced boyfriend as he wrapped an arm around her. She was still special.  
  
"We're all here," confirmed Xander who was clutching onto a sobbing Cordelia and a trembling Kendra.  
  
"Wicked," her brow furrowed as she saw the pentagram in the centre of the floor. "What's that?"  
  
Jonathan crouched down in front of the pentagram. "Haven't I seen this pentagram before?" her boyfriend looked towards the shivering party guests at the far end of the hall. "Who drew this-."  
  
"SHIT!" Suddenly a chain-sawing mask-wearing nutcase came through the wall. Her heart slowed to something resembling its normal rate when the man removed his mask to reveal a very familiar face. "Fuck G!" she exploded. "You damn near gave me a heart attack! Why didn't you use the door?"  
  
The Watcher raised an eyebrow. "There was a door?"  
  
"Always one for the dramatic entrance G-Man."  
  
"Xander, don't call me that."  
  
"As you're the one with the hockey mask and the chain-saw I'm not arguing."  
  
Her Watcher made his way forward, his eyes filled with the concern that always filled her with a warm glow. "Are you all alright?" at their shaky nods, the Englishman turned his attention to the pentagram. "This seems familiar," G was careful not to step inside the pentagram. "Who drew it?"  
  
"I...I did," one of the boys raised a shaky hand.  
  
Giles raised an eyebrow. "I trust you have the text you used to copy it to hand?"  
  
"H...here," the student rummaged through a bag and passed G a thick, leather- bound book. "Page 37."  
  
After a few seconds of reading G started to curse. "OH YOU BLOODY, STUPID WANKER! HAVE YOU THE BRAINS OF A SODDIN' WALNUT! I OUGHT TO STRING YOU UP BY YOUR BOLLO-."  
  
"Giles," Faith was disappointed when her sister interrupted their Watcher's flow, you always learnt something new listening to G swear. "What's the big deal?"  
  
"The big deal?" Faith hid a snigger, oh yeah he was really pissed. "The big deal is this prat," his glare was enough to send the student in question into whimpers. "Thought it would be a good idea to draw a pentagram of Gachnar who could only be summonsed into this dimension on one day of the bleeding year!"  
  
"Halloween?" Xander asked meekly.  
  
"Yes piggin' Halloween," G cast an angry glance over the assembled students, who, if there'd been a window would have probably jumped out of it to get away from the crazy Englishman. "Have you seen the picture?" Giles flashed them the picture, Faith's face creased in disgust, he was an ugly-looking bastard. "And who offered the blood sacrifice required to enact the spell?"  
  
"I..it was an accident."  
  
"Bloody idiots, dabbling in arts they have no pissing comprehension -."  
  
Deciding it was best to stop her Watcher before he went off on another rant, Faith grabbed his forearm. "How do we stop it G?"  
  
"Um," after a final withering glare at the students, G began to translate the text aloud. "Putting one's foot through the centre of the pentagram will -."  
  
"Sitch over!" She stamped her foot down hard in the middle of the diagram.  
  
"Call Gachnar forth," her Watcher glared at her. "Faith!"  
  
Faith swallowed and shrugged apologetically. "Sorry?"  
  
In an instant a blinding yellow light erupted from the hole. Seconds later, Gachnar emerged. A six inch leather-skinned demon. "That's it?" shaking her head, Kendra slammed a foot down on the demon, crushing him underfoot.  
  
"Ah."  
  
Faith glanced across at her adopted father. "What's the sitch G?"  
  
"Remember the picture of Gachnar I just showed you?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I've just translated the writing underneath."  
  
"And?" Kendra broke in.  
  
"It says," the Englishman coughed. "Actual size."

* * *

"Now," Faith watched as G raised a glass of wine. "This wasn't the Halloween party that we expected but we've still had fun."  
  
"D...do all your parties end like this?" queried Tara from her position on G's sofa.  
  
The room descended into laughter. "Most Tara," Xander replied. "But then that's half the fun."  
  
Xander stood. "I've got an early class we better motor Jon."  
  
"Walk me home Dweeb?"  
  
"Sure Cordy."  
  
Faith's brow furrowed. "I'm going for a run G," she lied. "Burn some energy." She'd seen the way Queen C had been looking at her sis' man and didn't like it at all. Ken might be an innocent but she was far from that and she was going to make there was nothing going on.  
  
"You can come with us," Jonathan offered.  
  
Faith's face split into a smile. "Doubt you could keep up sweetie but thanks."  
  
"Be careful Faith."  
  
"Will do G."

* * *

"Thanks for walking me home Harris."  
  
Xander shuffled from foot to foot. "You're welcome Cordy. Cordy," he licked his lips. "We all said what our fears were but you didn't."  
  
Cordelia's answering pain-filled smile tore his heart into shreds. "Poor, disowned by my family I'm living it Xander."  
  
"How pathetic," they turned to see Harmony. "Lost all your money, hanging with King Cretin Harris, god Cordelia could you be any lamer?"  
  
"Go to hell, ow!" Cordelia shrieked as he pushed her back, he swore he didn't mean to cop a feel, grabbing a well-formed and very large breast was just coincidental. "Harris!"  
  
"Shut up Cordy," he ordered without taking his eyes off the grinning blonde. "We went to Harmony's funeral remember?"  
  
"Oh god," he heard a choked sob from the girl behind him.  
  
"Get out of here Harmony," he ordered drawing a stake and cross. "You know how many vamps I've killed, you don't think you've got a chance against me do you?"  
  
The blonde vamped out but to his relief didn't attack. "I'll see you again Harris," she threatened. "Been fun catching up Cordy!" with that final barb the vampire disappeared into the darkness.  
  
His heart still pounding, he turned back to Cordelia. "Are you okay Cordy?"  
  
The former cheerleader slumped against him, fat tears rolling down her high cheeks. "Oh god," she sobbed. "D..did you see? Harmony, Harm's a vampire!"  
  
Suddenly his friend was flailing at him, her fists pounding into his chest as she screamed her fury. Eventually her anger ran its course and she slumped against him again, sobbing as he held her. Finally she pulled away. "Kiss me," she ordered hoarsely. "I need you."  
  
"Whoa," Xander stepped back. "You're my friend, Cordy. And I'm dating Ken- ."  
  
"Fine!" the cheerleader slapped him across the face. "You prey on me when I'm weak, toy with my emotions, then dump me. Who did you think you are Harris?" Turning, the brunette stormed into her apartment.  
  
Xander shook his head. "Well that was intense." He stepped towards the door and then backed off. "Best give her time to calm down."

* * *

Faith glared at the run-down apartment from the shadows. She'd seen it all, some blonde bitch insulting Cordy, and then the cow making moves on her sis' man. She waited until Xander had left before starting to the apartment. Queen C had to learn a lesson about boundaries.

* * *

Harmony muttered to herself as she blundered through the graveyard. She was going to get herself a band of childes together, high school jocks – the sort who used to pound the snot out of Harris. Oh he'd die begging for mercy. And as for Cordelia, Harmony vamped out at the thought of her past leader. She'd been the boss once, but Cordelia was going to follow her soon.

* * *

Riley lifted his gun. "Target sighted." Pressing the trigger of his rifle, he sent several thousand volts through the blonde vampire, sending her crashing to the ground. "Target obtained," he intoned. "Let's take her."

* * *

Cordelia wiped at her eyes. "God," she muttered as she peered into the mirror. "I look a mess." She couldn't believe it. Xander 'Nerd' Harris had turned her down. Just a year ago, she'd had sports stars just begging for just a smile. God, how she'd fallen. Just the thought was enough to start her eyes burning again.  
  
"Yo, Cordy open up you forgot something."  
  
"Faith?" wiping her eyes dry she hurried to the door and opened it. "What?"  
  
The Slayer grabbed her by her shoulders and slammed her into the wall, driving the air from her body. "You forgot," she swallowed at the coldness in her assailant's eyes. "Who Xman belongs to."  
  
"I don't know-."  
  
"Shut up." Instantly she clamped her mouth shut. "X is a great guy, but he's still a guy. You stop shaking your ass at him, otherwise..."  
  
"Otherwise what," Cordelia summonsed up her courage to spit out a challenge.  
  
"Otherwise." The smaller girl stuck her face in hers. "Otherwise, well let's just Kendra's a sweet girl, wouldn't have a clue what to do if a friend betrayed her like that, it would break her heart. Me," the Slayer laughed. "I'm street and Kendra's my sis. You hurt her C, and I'll come looking." Suddenly she was flying through the air to hit her bed . "Stay away from X, otherwise next time I won't be asking nicely."

* * *

Cordelia stared dazedly at the class board, normally Marketing was easy for her, but after last night's confrontation with Faith she was in a stupor. "The answer's tem."  
  
"Sorry," she turned to the blonde girl beside her, a transfer student called Anya Jenkins.  
  
"The answer's 10%, capitalism and the accumulation of money is easy."  
  
Cordelia looked down at her pad and then at the board. "Thanks."  
  
"Hey," the blonde unfastened her necklace. "This is my lucky necklace, perhaps you should wear it for a few days."  
  
"Oh," Cordelia was strangely touched by the girl's gesture. "Thanks."  
  
The next few hours she spent talking to Anya, talking about stuff she'd always wished she'd been able to confide to someone, anyone. Then suddenly, the girl blurted out. "I bet you wish those two girls had never come here."  
  
"Oh you bet I wish Kendra and Faith had never come to live in Sunnydale in '98," she spat, if they hadn't come she'd have Xander.  
  
Suddenly, the blonde's necklace flashed and her face turned into something hideous. "Done!"


	5. 4A

A/N: The characterisation of Wesley, Faith, and Xander especially is going to be wildly OOC here guys, but bear in mind they've all been changed by their different experiences in the Wishverse.  
  
Two Slayers (4a/?)  
  
Cordelia looked at the other teen, suddenly freaked by her manically- grinning face. "Yeah whatever," she said uneasily. "Anyway, I've got another class, in the University Of Outer Mongolia," she babbled, warily backing away from the grinning blonde. "Sunnydale," she muttered. "Where even the humans are weirder than average."  
  
"Coee! Cordy!"  
  
"And there's the proof," she muttered. Forcing a smile she turned to face the no. 1. Cordette. "Hi Harm-," her smile faded. "Oh crap." Heart pounding, she backed away from the approaching vampire, her hand darting into her jacket for the cross she kept there. "Get back!"  
  
Harmony looked confused at the cross. "Didn't know you'd got religion Cor, isn't that skirt," the vampire looked at her mini. "A little short for a woman of god?"  
  
Cordelia stared at her friend. What was happening? Last night, Harm had been a vampire, but now crosses didn't affect her, and, neither did sunlight. "Harm!" she threw her arms around her friend and hugged her. "I've missed you!"  
  
"Ugh," the cheerleader pulled away. "Have you been watching Ellen again?"  
  
"Yeah sorry," Cordelia couldn't stop grinning. Harmony back but how? Her smile slipped as she realised the probable source – the Wish. "I'll have to go see Giles," she muttered.  
  
"Mr. Giles?" Harmony's face grew troubled. "Are you on something Cordy? He died remember?"  
  
Cordelia felt like she'd been punched in the gut. "M...Mr Giles, dead? H...how?" it was an effort but she managed to fight back the tears. "What happened?"  
  
Harmony shrugged. "Don't you remember? It was the night Buffy and her boyfriend went psycho, killed Oz and Mr. Giles, Willow too."  
  
"And Xander?" Cordelia managed to gasp.  
  
Again her second-in-command shrugged. "You should know better than me." Before Cordelia had chance to respond to that cryptic statement, the blonde cheerleader paled. "It'll be dark soon. Call me!"  
  
"Later," Cordy croaked dazedly as the blonde hurried away. Giles dead? Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought how kind Giles had been to her. The Slayers, first Buffy and then Kendra and Faith, had always been his favourites, but he always had time for her, so unlike her father he didn't think every problem could be solved by a credit card. She remembered confiding in Giles about her family's money troubles. How he'd hugged her as she'd sobbed out her humiliation before helping her find an apartment, writing her references for her landlady and UC Sunnydale, offering her work at his new shop, and even giving her the money for her first few months' rent, telling her to consider 'long-overdue payment for her assistance in Slaying'. And now he was dead – because of a wish she'd made.

* * *

"Hi Cordy."  
  
Cordelia looked up from the park bench she'd stumbled to after the shocking revelation of what her wish had done. She smiled weakly as she recognised her thickly built classmate. "Hi Larry," looking round she realised she must have been sat sobbing for hours; it must nine at night at least.  
  
"Hi Cordy," Larry repeated. "I know someone who'd like to see you."  
  
"Oh yeah," she muttered. "Who's that?"  
  
"My sire," her blood chilled as Larry's face morphed into a vampire's. She opened her mouth to scream but only a croak came out. "I'm not into girls but he is, and he likes them soft and screaming."  
  
"I don't think so." Suddenly Larry exploded into dust to reveal a pissed off Xander standing behind where the vampire had been, flanked by Amy and Jonathan. Cordelia opened her mouth to babble out a thanks but before she had chance to, Xander grabbed her by the elbows, yanked her to her feet, and, most surprisingly, crushed his lips to hers and slammed his tongue into her mouth. Shocked, Cordy started to pull away before getting into it, pressing her body against him even as Xander slid his callused palms up the back of her smooth legs and beneath her skirt to cup her well-rounded buttocks.  
  
Just as suddenly Xander pulled away, Cordy attempted to follow him, intent on continuing the kiss. Her face exploded in pain as Xander, backhand slapped her across the face, knocking her to the ground. She stared up at the man in disbelief. "Damn it Harris, who the -."  
  
The Scooby's cold voice interrupted her. "You stupid little bitch," he grated. "You know the streets of Sunnydale aren't safe for anyone after dark. We had to risk our lives to find you, if Amy hadn't cast a locater spell we wouldn't have found you in time. And you," the man crouched down, grabbed her by the elbow and yanked her to her feet, ignoring her protesting yelp. "You're number 2. on the wanted list." Xander shook his hand. "The things he'd do to you, you'd take weeks to die if he got his hands on you and be glad when you finally did." The man's face crumpled slightly, revealing the scared kid beneath. "I can't lose you too."  
  
Her head still ringing from the blow she managed to blurt out a question. "Who?" suddenly she had the answer, if Kendra hadn't come here like she wished... "Angelus?"  
  
Xander cast her a puzzled look. "Angelus? He's old news. I'm talking about Giles."

* * *

"This Rupert Giles used to be one of yours right?"  
  
Wesley nodded at his charge's question, wishing it was just the two of them in the van so that he could pull into a lay-by, climb into the back with her, and fuck some of the tension he felt out of the both of them. Unfortunately the Council had deemed their mission so dangerous that the other Slayer, Kendra, and her Watcher, Sam Zabuto, had been called in to assist. "Indeed Faith," he glanced over his shoulder and smiled at her. Later, he soothed himself, there'd be time to play later. "Giles was a former dark arts mage and small-time London thug who was selected as a Watcher due in part to his family connection, but mostly because of his martial skills, magical ability, and extensive knowledge of demonology. Even before he was turned he was a formidable enemy. Now..."  
  
"And he was field watcher for Buffy Summers? The legend?" this was from Kendra.  
  
Wesley grimaced. Given the papers his father had furnished of the unedited Giles diaries Wesley suspected what she'd achieved was rather more due the accomplishments of her Scooby gang than anything Summers herself had managed, and her high-handed behaviour over the Angelus affair, utterly shameful – she should have been put down by the Council black-ops unit. Deciding his charges didn't need to have their confidence on what they accomplish knocked by decrying their fellow Slayer he agreed. "That is so."  
  
"How did it all go to shit, Wes?"  
  
"We don't know Miss Faith," Zabuto put in. "Mr. Giles' last report was a fortnight before his fall. Since then information has been patchy."  
  
"So we're flying in blind?" Faith groaned. "Hoo-fucking-ray."  
  
"Miss Faith," Zabuto admonished. "That language is not befitting of a Slayer."  
  
"Hey Zabbie," Faith shot back. "Bite me."  
  
"Do not speak to Mr. Zabuto like that!" Kendra snapped.  
  
"See my finger?" Faith growled. "Sit on it."  
  
Wesley groaned. It was going to be a long drive. He thought he'd taught Faith about her attitude but obviously he'd have to have further words.

* * *

Giles shuddered with delight as the magical alarms surrounding Sunnydale were breached. "The Slayers, both of them." He beamed, his eyes flickering golden as he ran his hand down his sire's and subordinate's soft neck. "Oh Buffy, soon they'll be ours to play with so soon," he purred. His master plan was coming to fruition.  
  
"Can I keep one?" Buffy's eyes gleamed with the insanity that had always been there since Angelus had turned her. Something to do with the Slayer within he suspected, although it was only a theory.  
  
Smiling at her enthusiasm for torture, she was a sadistic little bitch, he didn't know what he liked best – watching her torture the resistance members they caught or their time alone in their bedroom, he ran a finger across her lip. "You can play with them both for a few days," he promised.  
  
"Use my toys, make them scream?" the Slayer-Vamp pressed.  
  
"Make them scream," he agreed. "I'll look forward to seeing how creative you can be," he encouraged.  
  
"I still say luring two Slayers here is foolish."  
  
Giles raised an eyebrow at his grand-sire's comment. "And I don't much care what you say Angelus. You never had much forethought or intelligence. I preferred your soulful counterpart," the Irish vampire snarled, Buffy stepped between them, her own mouth parted in a warning growl. The former Scourge of Europe backed down, his eyes burning with frustration. Giles snickered. It had been his gravest mistake, turning Buffy, a turned Slayer was uncontrollable, and when Buffy had turned him – his knowledge and organisational skills had soon allowed him to overthrow the powerful but not very smart vampire. With his power-base of Spike and Drusilla dead, Angelus lived only at his sufferance. "Be a good boy and get Mr. Trick, I need to learn more about this Faith bitch."

* * *

"This the place Wes?"  
  
Wesley peered at the factory before nodding. "According to the message the Council received, yes."  
  
"Only one entrance, high windows, and a stout door, probably has a hidden exit," Faith nodded approvingly. "They chose well."  
  
"They did," Wes agreed. "Mr Zabuto, do you mind giving me a moment to talk to Faith in private?"  
  
The other Watcher nodded shortly. "Kendra follow me," he snapped.  
  
Once the duo had disappeared, he turned to Faith. "Get out," he ordered, his voice hoarse with desire.  
  
Once they'd climbed out of the van, Faith turned to him, her mouth opening. "I'm sorry -."  
  
Blood thundering, he pushed himself against the lithe brunette, slamming her back against the side of the van. His hands moved under her tube top, pulling it up to gain better access to the treasures contained within, he pressed his tongue into her ear and whispered. "Do I need the cuffs, or will you take your punishment like a good girl?"  
  
"No Wes," the girl moaned. "I'll be a good girl."  
  
A triumphant snarl parting his lips, he grabbed the Slayer's raven-dark hair, so silky to touch, and yanked her head back, marking her as his property by sinking his teeth into her soft, creamy-white neck. The Slayer whimpered but didn't resist, knowing that to do so would only prolong and worsen her disciplining. Finally he pulled away, grinning at the slight bruise he'd left on her neck. "Get your clothing straight," he ordered brusquely. "You might be a bloody tart but you don't need to be so obvious about it." Turning away he strode towards where the other Watcher and Slayer were waiting. "And be quick about it!" he called over his shoulder.

* * *

"Yes Wes," Faith muttered as she pulled her tube back over her breasts, wincing slightly at the welts his rough handling had left, the bruises from last night still fading. It had all started so well. After killing Kaiktosis after he'd killed her first Watcher, Wes had arrived. He'd seen so refined and reserved, but she'd noticed the looks he sneaked at her when she was shining with sweat after their training sessions and decided to take advantage of his lust. After all, it he was 'emotionally involved' with her he'd be less prone to send her on suicide missions, give her more time to recover from injuries... And the only way to get a guy attracted to her was by using her body. It wasn't like any went for her for her personality or mind.  
  
Instead she awoken a monster. Where she'd expected a vanilla guy whose needs she could take care off by short sessions, she'd found a Satyr. Talk about repressed, she thought she'd done everything by the time she made fourteen, but Wes was a whole different ball game, some of the shit he liked to do made her skin crawl. And now she was trapped with him until death. She rebelled at the thought of killing another human and even if she didn't, she knew the Council would come after her hard. "What a fucking life." She didn't get it, she figured a geeky guy like him would love having a babe like her, make him want to keep her alive, look after her the best he could. Instead, it was like he hated her, loved having the power to hurt her. "Seriously fucked up."  
  
"FAITH!"  
  
She groaned at the pissed off tone. The slightest indiscretion was punished severely, any excuse used. "Coming Wes," she called. Entering the factory, she found them surrounded by twenty crossbow-wielding youths. "Oh shit." Maybe her escape was at hand after all.


	6. 4B

A/N: I've played around with S2 canon here guys.  
  
Two Slayers 4B  
  
Faith watched as her Watcher stepped forward, the kinky bastard had nerve she had to give him that. "We're not your enemies," he said. "My companions and I represent the Watchers' Council -."  
  
A quarrel thudded into the ground between the feet of her Watcher, silencing him. A tall, brown-haired kid maybe a couple of years her senior with a decent build and hard but good-looking features, began climbing down the ramp-way above them. "We're aware of who you are," the boy stated. "Question is where the hell you've been for the past eighteen months?"

* * *

"Mr. Trick, you had some experience of the Slayer Faith back in Boston I believe?"  
  
Trick swallowed nervously as he glanced around the hall. In theory, he was second only in power to the vampire by his side, he was one hundred and sixty years old to Angelus' 240, no other vamp here was more than a century old. In theory.  
  
But no vampire he'd ever met could match the combination of Giles' magical skills, fighting ability, demonology knowledge, and organisational flair. And no vampire could match the turned Slayer for ferocity in battle – not even his now deceased 1,000 year old sire. Finally he nodded. "I do sir."  
  
"Excellent," Trick wasn't fooled for one second by Giles' genial-seeming smile. "Then why don't you tell me about her?"  
  
"Yeah, sure." Trick paused for a second to get his thoughts together. "Me and Big K had held down Boston before since the Second World War, sweet as anything. Then in May '98, she was called. K had taken down five Slayers before her and I'd seen him kill two, but she was different, wilder-."  
  
"But not as good as my Buffy," Giles commented, his hand sliding up the mini-skirted blonde's leg.  
  
"No, of-course not." Trick swallowed. Damn these guys were crazier than a bagful of monkeys. What had he got himself into? "The big guy lost a ton of vampires fighting her, she was real tough, but eventually we caught her and her Watcher. By this time, the boss was real pissed, so he took his time torturing the girl's Watcher. Knives, hammers, acid, cattle-prods, blow-torches, whips, boiling water, ice, - she took days to die and the girl was made to watch it all. When the Watcher died, K decided to tell the girl what he'd got planned for her, but the girl snapped, went loco, broke her chains, killed about ten vamps and the boss. She's one scary bitch."  
  
"But you escaped," Giles commented. Trick nodded. "And when you fled, you came here?" he nodded again. "And you began working for the Mayor. But when we took over and dealt with dear Dickie Wilkins, you came over to our side, correct?" he nodded for a third time. The English vampire shook his head. "Two bosses deserted in their hour of need, how dreadfully remiss of you." Suddenly the former Watcher's eyes gleamed golden. "Don't go for a third. Otherwise," Giles glanced at the blonde stood beside him, "Buffy will have a new toy to play with. And she's so eager to see how much it takes to break a vampire. Understand?" Too frightened to speak, he nodded. "Good, now get out of my sight."  
  
As he left, his elbow was grabbed by Angelus. "Come with me," the older vampire ordered in a tone that brooked no argument.

* * *

Zabuto stepped forward, his heart racing. He realised that these youths must be the resistance, and the youth before him, the now near-legendary Alexander Harris. "Mr. Harris-."  
  
"Call me Alex," the teen growled.  
  
"I beg your pardon?"  
  
"Nobody calls me Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris is my father and the town drunk. My friends call me Xander, but they're mostly dead, thanks to the fucking Council. You can call me Alex," his blood chilled as the boy raised his pistol crossbow and pointed at his chest. "Now talk. And fast."  
  
Zabuto swallowed, from the youth's tone and expression he was on the edge, months of leading a losing battle against the creatures of the night forcing him to the edge. "Alex, why don't you tell me what's been going on here?"  
  
The youth raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think you're in any position to ask any questions."  
  
Sensing Kendra tense beside him, he placed a calming hand on her shoulder. He was surprised to see the Bostonian Slayer stay calm – although perhaps her reputed days on the street had taught her the value of picking your fights. "Alex, as our host surely you'd do us the courtesy of filling us in on what's been going on. After all, as guests we can hardly be expected to know which places to avoid?"  
  
The boy smiled unwillingly. "You've got balls, I'll give you that. Okay, this is how it all started-."

* * *

"Damn those blithering idiots!"  
  
Xander watched in concern when his surrogate father flung his phone off the desk and into the wall. After a second he'd gathered enough courage to speak. "What's up G-M, Giles?"  
  
Giles looked up from his glowering at the desk, suddenly aware of his presence. "Oh Xander, I'm sorry you saw," the Englishman's glance dropped to the smashed phone, "that. Most unseemly."  
  
"Not a problem," he'd seen, experienced, far worse at his own home. "What the problem Giles?"  
  
"I rang the Council, requesting the assistance of Kendra."  
  
Xander half-smiled, he remembered the dark-skinned beauty's first visit, he wouldn't mind seeing her again. "When she's coming?"  
  
"She isn't."  
  
"What?" Xander couldn't believe it. "But didn't you explain about Buffy not being able to kill Ang-," his voice trailed off at Giles' guilty look. "You didn't! Why not?"  
  
"Because if I told them, we'd more than likely get a visit from the Council Wet-works team."  
  
"Good, it's not been raining much this-," Xander shut up as soldier boy's memories kicked in. "They wouldn't!"  
  
"They would," Giles retorted. "The question is-."  
  
The Watcher was interrupted from a shout from the outer library. "Giles! Giles!"  
  
"Oh bloody hell," Giles muttered, "you'd think it was a pigging rock concert and not a library. Shall we?"

* * *

Zabuto exchanged a troubled look with Kendra. "We never told of your request, Alex." If he remembered correctly it had been about the time his Slayer had been captured by a group of zombies and they'd magically killed her in preparation for a ritual that would have resulted in a Slayer- Zombie. He'd magically disrupted the ceremony, resulting in Kendra being called back to life but that had been enough to call forth Faith.  
  
The youth looked nonplussed. "Oh." After a second he continued. "Anyway- ."  
  
He followed the Watcher out into the library to see Willow and Buffy stood in the centre of the library floor, their faces excited as they poured over the sheets of paper before them. Xander shook his head in puzzlement. He'd never seen Buffy that animated over schoolwork before.  
  
At their entrance, Buffy looked up, her cheeks glowing. "Willow's found it! The spell to give Angel his soul back!"  
  
Xander looked at Giles' paling face. Realising the Watcher was too stunned to react, he let out a shout. "Oh no way!" he half-snarled. "There is no fucking way that bastard is getting his soul back! After all he did to us! To Giles!"  
  
"Xander," Giles' voice was strained but with that note of steel Xander knew the Englishman only used when he was determined to get his way. "In the inner office now."  
  
Sighing slightly, he allowed the Watcher to herd him into the small room. "G-Man, you can't agree with this!"  
  
"Xander," the Englishman sighed wearily before slumping onto the edge of his desk, looking much older than his early-forties. "Of course not-."  
  
"Well then, tell her!" Xander interrupted.  
  
"Xander," the librarian's voice firmed some more. "We have to, and I hate to use a yank term, 'play the percentages'." The Englishman sighed at his puzzled expression. "Xander, we both accepted that Buffy isn't up to dealing with Angelus." He nodded unwillingly. "This acts as our safety net, if she can't handle Angelus we can ensoul him. Problem solved."  
  
"But Miss Cale-."  
  
"Was trying to ensoul Angelus when she was killed," Giles interrupted. "Please, for me."  
  
"And if they succeed?" Xander asked. "What about Angel?"  
  
Giles' face tightened. "We deal with him when that comes. Regardless of what Buffy thinks it will be made clear that he is most unwelcome in Sunnydale."  
  
"But we don't say anything until afterwards?" Giles nodded. Xander nodded, it wasn't what he wanted completely but it would do. "That's the sort of plan I can get behind." At least he'd never have to see that cold-hearted bastard again.

* * *

"Oh look at the Slayer's loyal little sheep."  
  
Xander's blood chilled at Dru's all-too familiar tone. Exchanging a shocked look with Giles, he leapt to his feet and drew his stake. "Hi Dru, long time no see," he tried but failed to put a jaunty note into his voice. "Come to take me up and that offer of a coffee date?" he added without much hope.  
  
Dru's giggle reminded him just how looney tunes she was. "Oh sweet little kitten with his love spells, made me feel oh soppy he did." His heart sank when the insane vampire vamped out. "Made Daddy so angry with me." Dru turned to the half a dozen vampires behind her. "Don't kill them, Daddy wants to play."  
  
Xander looked at Giles and then Oz, both men nodded. Giles glanced over his shoulder at Cordy and Willow. "Run!" the Englishman bellowed. "We'll hold them off!"  
  
"Get them!"  
  
The vampires charged forward at Drusilla's screech. Xander leapt forward to meet the first, feinting with his left before slamming the stake into his opponent's chest. Even as the vampire exploded in dust, Xander's world exploded in pain as something impossibly powerful crashed into his forehead. The last thing he heard as his knees buckled and he crashed onto the ground was Drusilla's mocking laughter.

* * *

"Oh shit," Xander groaned as he forced his eyes to open as far they could. His heart sank at the figure stood over him. "Oh shit," he repeated his earlier curse.  
  
"Hello Xander," Angelus beamed down at him. "It's always an ordeal to hear from you. I hope you've enjoyed the past day's activities."  
  
Xander winced as he remembered the periodic beatings. "The dancing girls weren't the best and the refreshments -."  
  
He was interrupted by Angelus' rich laughter. "Always the comedian Xander, I like that about you I really do. If you weren't so irritating I'd keep you around, sort of as a court jester. But," the Irish vampire sighed. "The one thing both Angel and I agree on. The only actually, is you have to go. You see I never intended for Acathla to rise, it was all a trap you fell so neatly into. Giles I turned for his brains and Buffy for her fighting skills. When I get my hands on Cordy," Angel beamed. "Well I'm afraid Buffy's going to have to learn how to share. Willow, as long as she passes a test, will be very handy, what with her magical ability. Girl has serious potential. But you," Angelus shook his head. "I'm afraid you're a liability."  
  
"But," the vampire stepped back, "Liam was always a sporting man, one for a wager. And I suppose in that respect I've never changed. My boys and I are going to leave once my new childe," Xander followed Angelus' gaze to a small body in the corner, "rises. If you can kill my new fledging, no vampire will be able to touch you until tomorrow night. A whole day's head start."  
  
Xander hid a smile, he'd killed more than a few fledgings in the past two years, he could handle this. He watched as the Master vampire moved to the room's doorway. "Do I get a stake?"  
  
Angelus casually tossed him one before smiling. "You sure do Xan," the vampire mocked. "Oh and good luck with," the demon turned towards the now wakening vampire, "Willow."  
  
Xander's heart froze as he looked over to see his best friend's undead body rising. Scrambling to his feet, he raised his stake in a trembling hand. "Will," he croaked.  
  
He wasn't dumb, he knew that this wasn't his friend, this was a demon, but to see the vampire advancing on him , wearing the face of his buddy since kindergarten.  
  
Just like Jesse.  
  
That thought hit him like a sledge-hammer, shocking him to a stillness that wasn't ended until the red-headed vampire crashed a fist into his jaw, flinging him backwards into the wall. Dazed, he could only watch as the vampire shot out an arm, grabbed him by the neck and flung him to the other side of the small room. "Blood."  
  
Xander realised with a jolt that the demon was so insane with blood-lust, she didn't even recognise him. His senses slowly returning, he looked around for his stake. His heart sunk as he caught sight of it at the other side of the room.  
  
Suddenly Willow began to turn towards the doorway behind her, her mouth opening in shock and then she exploded into dust. "Let's get out of her Dweeb Boy!"  
  
His mouth dropped open at the sight of Cordelia stood in the doorway. "How?"  
  
His friend's eyes shadowed. "Two vampires at the back of the library. I staked mine, Willow didn't. By the time I realised she'd been grabbed it was too late, I came back. Saw them bring you here, waited until they left."

* * *

"And since May '97, sixteen damn months ago!" Xander's tone was low and the glint in his eyes, dangerous. "I've been running what resistance I could, trying to keep things under control. And finally the Council deign to join us. We're so honoured."  
  
Zabuto chose to ignore the boy's sarcastic tone, judging his anger as warranted. "How do you manage to keep this organisation going?"  
  
"Dumb luck," the youth growled, his eyes bitter. "You heard of Ethan Rayne?" Zabuto nodded, Rayne and Giles had been 1st years together at the Watcher's Academy, both had gone off the rails, Rayne had never returned to their side. "Guy did a spell Halloween '97, turned me into some sort of special forces soldier for a while. After the possession wore off I lost the skills but I've still got the memories and experience of tactics and strategy."  
  
Zabuto blinked, what the boy said was impressive. There were few men twice his age who could have achieved what the young man had done. "You have done well," he praised.  
  
The young man shrugged. "We've had a few lucky breaks, their attention hasn't been wholly on us. Before she was turned Buffy killed Dru and Spike, thinning Angelus' family of master vampires for us, Dracula came and tried to over-run them, he failed," Zabuto nodded, he heard of the war, Dracula proclaiming his right as oldest living vampire and being killed by Buffy. "Then there was the Mayor who turned out to be some sort of demon- worshipper. They crucified him on the face of the town clock. And then there was Giles' coup-."  
  
"Yes how did that come about?" Zabuto glanced at the Englishman by his side. There was something about the younger Watcher that made his skin crawl. There were rumours about his father, Roger Whnydham-Pryce, and having met the son he believed every one of them. He suspected, he glanced at the east coast Slayer and shook his head, none of his business.  
  
"We think," a short youth replied, "that Giles did a black arts ritual that reversed the Sire-Childe link, making him in charge of the most powerful vampire, Buffy, and supplanting Angelus as leader."  
  
Zabuto smiled unwillingly. One had to admire Giles' genius. Suddenly another girl, a striking brunette with a Hollywood starlet's looks and poise, let out a shout. "That's not true at all, you see it was different where I came from. Buffy was in LA with Willow, Angel had his soul back, Kendra and Faith were sisters living with Giles." Zabuto's brow furrowed, what was the girl blathering on about? "Then I made a wish to this new girl in my class, Anya and everything changed."  
  
Anya, Zabuto's heart dropped, she couldn't be. Suddenly, the windows exploded and the time for thinking was over.


	7. 4C

FIC: Two Slayers (4C/?)  
  
Mr. Trick shook his head. He didn't like Angelus' plan, no not at all. "Giles wouldn't appr-, argh!"  
  
A thudding blow to the jaw sent him to his knees. "Giles and his pet bitch aren't here," Angelus growled dangerously from overhead. "I am. Bear that in mind. He brings two Slayers to my town to fuel some black arts ritual to make him even more powerful." The Irish vampire shook his head. "Isn't going to happen."  
  
Trick stared up in frustration at his elder. Didn't the stupid bastard understand that if Giles' scheme worked all over those closest to the former Watcher would grow powerful and influential by extension. Realising that any attempt to reason with Angelus would only further infuriate the insane vampire he nodded dutifully. "Very well."  
  
Angelus' features broke out into a beaming smile that wasn't reflected in his dead eyes. "Excellent," the Irish vampire boomed as he pulled him to his feet, "we'll make a hell of a team you and me, just like Spike and I did before those damn gypsies got involved. Which reminds me," Angelus' shark-like smile widened. "Ever been to Romania?"

* * *

Faith's face screwed up in confusion as she listened to the tall brunette babble on. God she hated her type, always thinking that a hang-nail was the greatest tragedy in the world's history. Faith giggled, she just bet discovering about vamps had made Miss. Little Rich Bitch shit in her expensive panties.  
  
Her amusement died with the sound of the door exploding behind her. Her heart dropped as she spun round to face the two figures entering, all but oblivious to the sound of the warehouse's windows shattering around her. She didn't recognise the good-looking stud, but the man beside him, she did, remembered his hands on her body, his whispered promises of what he was going to do to her once his Master had finished, remembered him holding the only person she'd ever loved as his Master had killed her.  
  
"TRICK!" her scream echoing in her ears, she leapt forward, her stake seeming to leap in her hand. It was long past time for this bastard to die.

* * *

Trick swallowed as he saw death racing towards him in the otherwise enticing form of the Boston Slayer. He still remembered the bewitching swathe she'd cut through the East Coast's vampire population, and he was a planner not a fighter. Steeling himself, he thrust a right hook at the brunette head only for her to block it on her shoulder. Undeterred, he moved into a sweeping kick that the Slayer easily somersaulted over.  
  
Realising she was now behind him, he spun to face her, only to catch a crunching right to the jaw. "You killed Jan!" the Slayer screamed, her face contorted in a homicidal rage that reminded him of just-risen minions.  
  
"And she tasted great," he taunted, hoping to provoke a mistake, an opening. He screamed in agony when the Slayer drove her knee up hard into his groin, the pain causing him to double up.  
  
"BASTARD!" the Bostonian slammed a left into the side of his head, the force almost knocking him off his feet. He forced himself to straighten – right into a side heel kick to the face that knocked him on his ass. Even as he looked up at his attacker, she plunged her stake in his chest.  
  
"Ah -."

* * *

"Shit."  
  
Faith looked at the pile of ashes that had once been her tormenter's right- hand man, a face that had haunted her nightmares for months. To her surprise she didn't feel any elation at her nemesis' demise, only an empty feeling. She glanced around the battle, her eyes narrowing when she saw her predecessor being beaten by Trick's companion from earlier, the vampire that could only be Angelus. "Fuck!"

* * *

"Kendra," Angelus beamed down at the beautiful girl before him. Here was an opportunity. Maybe if he turned her, he'd have a Slayer-Vampire to rival Buffy, someone to build an opposing force around. Here was a real chance. "It's good to see you, how you've been, well I hope?"  
  
The girl glared up at him. "I always told Buffy you were a mistake," she spat.  
  
Angelus' smile widened. "Ah that sexy accent," he almost-purred. "I never told you what a turn-on it was did I?" Taking advantage of the Slayer's look of revulsion, he slammed a right into her face, staggering her backwards.  
  
Anxious to use his advantage, he charged forward, only for Kendra to slide beneath his follow-up left hook and thrust her stake at his heart, the blow coming close enough to actually tear a hole through his shirt. "Ah lass," he drawled as he backhanded the Slayer away from him, "you'll be ripping my best shirt."  
  
To her credit, Kendra charged back into attack, jumping into a spin kick that he just managed to duck under before landing a right hook in the girl's stomach. The girl grunted and fell like a stone to the ground. A grin on his face, Angelus went for a stomp to the face, comforting himself that any damage done to the dusky-toned beauty would be healed once she'd been turned.  
  
Kendra's hands shot up, grabbed his foot and twisted, sending a jolt of pain shooting through his leg and him tumbling to the ground. Both he and his opponent reached their feet at the same time. He grunted slightly when the Slayer thrust her stake, catching him in the left shoulder. Ignoring the pain he snatched at the Slayer's wrist and twisted, grinning slightly at her pained gasp and the sight of the Slayer's stake clattering to the ground. Still holding onto her wrist, he ignored her other fist slamming into his side to headbutt in her face, shattering her nose. The Slayer let out a groan before falling to her knees, her other hand finally released.  
  
Seeing the Slayer's hand lunge towards her stake, he kicked the weapon out of reach before crashing the point of his boot into her chin, knocking her onto her back. "Ah, my fourth Slayer, I wonder if knowing you will make you taste just the sweeter?"

* * *

Cordelia stared around the battleground, anixious for an opening, an unprotected back she could shove her stake into. "Cordy."  
  
She jumped at a voice by her ear and spun round to face the speaker. Her heart returned to something approaching its normal cadence as she recognised the speaker. "Damn it Scott!" she squawked. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"  
  
Scott Hope half-grinned. "Sorry Cor." The boy's face turned serious. "Xander told me that if trouble started I was to grab you and get the hell out of. Go to the fall-back camp."  
  
"I'm not leaving -."  
  
"Please," Scott's eyes were pleading, yet at the same time commanding, "it's what the boss wants."  
  
Cordelia felt her will-power wilt. "Fine, which way?"  
  
Scott nodded with his head to the warehouse offices towards the back of the building. "Through here."  
  
"Okay," she hurried after the youth, then stopped when she realised her companion's face wasn't reflected in the grimy office windows, "oh god," she croaked. She turned to run only for her high heel to snap under her, sending her to the ground. She felt an improbably strong hand grab her pony-tail, jerking her head back and then a searing pain in her neck. Then nothing.

* * *

"Hey asshole!"  
  
Angelus' half-turned head was met by a thudding right that knocked him back a step. Ignoring the pain roaring through his jaw, he grinned at the sultry brunette before him. "Why, you must be Faith," he purred. Not taking his eyes off the raven-haired warrior before him, he wiped away the blood trickling from his. "Trick told me all about you. Never quite mentioned how beautiful you are. Um," he licked his lips slowly, "do you taste as good as you look?"  
  
The teen's eyes filled with a fury that made him all tingly. "You'll," she launched a side heel kick at him that he slapped away before leaping into a spinning backfist that exploded against his forehead, "never find out."  
  
Angelus looked around him and scowled. His attack hadn't worked as well as he'd hoped, not only was Harris still alive, he should have killed that little bastard when he had the chance, but both of the Slayers were relatively unharmed thus ruining his hopes of ending Giles' little scheme. Worse still, all his minions were rapidly being wiped out.  
  
Deciding a strategic withdrawal was in order, he bowed mockingly at the Slayer. "It's been fun Faith but I had a prior appointment." The brunette started towards him, he waggled a scolding finger at her before nodding towards a groaning Kendra. "You wouldn't leave your sister Slayer unprotected would you? Why any vampire hoping to make a name for themselves could snack on her."  
  
Faith glared helplessly at him. "This isn't over!"  
  
"Oh," he winked, "a second date. I can hardly wait."

* * *

Cursing, Faith dropped to her knee beside her fellow Slayer, relieved to see that despite the blood covering her counterpart's face, the injuries were superficial and already healing. "Thank you," Kendra slurred.  
  
"Um, five by five," Faith shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable. No-one had ever thanked her for helping them before, she didn't know how to react to it. "You going to be -."  
  
"Noo!"  
  
Faith's head snapped towards the back of the warehouse. That sounded like the Xander guy. "Shall we?"  
  
She turned to find her sister Slayer struggling to her feet. "Yeah."

* * *

Zabuto looked down on the youth holding his girl-friend's corpse, a feeling of profound sadness enveloping his being. This boy had seen, suffered so much. As had all his companions. And maybe, his brow furrowed in thought, maybe it simply wasn't necessary. "Miss," he grabbed the Wicca from before. "What's your name?"  
  
He had to repeat his question three times before the young girl broke from watching her leader. "A...Amy."  
  
He smiled. "Tell me Amy, what do you know about Vengeance Demons?"

* * *

Faith listened to the two Watchers and the resistance's two witches while all the time observing the sobbing man holding the girl's body. "He really loved her," she muttered. A hot, burning anger built up like a volcano inside her. Love was precious, like the way Jan had cared for her, some fucking demon didn't get to take it away and laugh about it, that was wrong. She turned to Kendra. "Let's get Angelus," she whispered.  
  
Kendra looked shocked. "We can't leave without -."  
  
"They're busy," she interrupted. "We kill a big fish like Angelus and they won't give a shit," Faith reasoned before adding a jibe. "You're not scared are ya?"  
  
Kendra fell neatly into her trap. "Of course not!" she hissed back, bristling at the very idea.  
  
Faith nodded her approval. "In that case, let's jet."

* * *

Giles looked up, something disturbing his senses. After a second he had it, Angelus had dared to attack his prizes. Snarling to himself, he slapped his bed partner's naked ass. "Buffy, get up."  
  
The tiny blonde growled a protest. "What is it Giles?"  
  
"That bloody Paddy," he snarled, "has tried to attack my Slayers."  
  
"Oh," immediately Buffy rose and began to dress, her every movement sensual, "what do you want me to do?"  
  
Giles considered the question for a moment. He had tolerated Angelus because as a new Master Vampire it gave him serious kudos having the likes of the notorious Scourge of Europe under his control. But now he'd overstepped the mark one too many times. "Kill him."  
  
Buffy nodded. "And the Slayers?"  
  
Giles sighed, noting the mad gleam in his love's eyes. "I need them alive Buffy," the blonde nodded and turned to leave. "Buffy," she turned back to him. He threw the corpse they'd had their fun with tonight. "Throw Harmony out with the other trash."  
  
Giles morphed into his demonic face as his second-in-command left. "Why can't anything be simple?" While researching the ritual he'd used to reverse the childe-sire link he'd found another, even more interesting, ceremony, one that had been used in 3300 BC. to allow a vampire black mage to remove the barrier of invitation protecting people's homes, meaning that the vampire in question and any vampire who swore fealty to him could come and go as they wished. He didn't have the power to complete such a spell, but with the blood of two Slayers fuelling him, maybe just maybe.

* * *

Angelus seethed as he made his way through Sunnydale's darkened streets, he wanted something, anything, to kill, but the night's other denizens wisely gave him a wide berth. Getting that close to killing a Slayer but failing was like spending all night stalking a girl only to find you were drinking the blood of a junkie. "Damn bitches -."  
  
Suddenly something smashed into his jaw, knocking him into a wall. "Pretty mouth like that won't get you many dates." Shaking his head clear, he walked into the centre of the alley, glaring at the raven-haired temptress stood before him, just the sort of girl his father had told him would be the death of him. He chuckled – well dear old dad had been right about that, the death of him and all his village. "What's so damn funny?"  
  
He laughed at the girl's demand. "I was just thinking my mouth might not be pretty but when you don't care if the girl under you is wriggling or not, it doesn't much matter."  
  
The sultry beauty's face creased in disgust. "You sick fuck!"  
  
"What?" he arched an eyebrow. "Don't you like it kinky?"  
  
"How about a little 2 on 1?" an accented voice asked from behind.  
  
His back exploded in agony, knocking him down to one knee. He glanced over his shoulder to see Kendra staring mockingly at him. Oh shit, two Slayers one of him, this couldn't end well.  
  
Surging to his feet, he flicked out a back heel kick only for Kendra to sway away from the attack, grab his ankle and throw him face-first into the wall. Even as he struggled to his feet, he was confronted by Faith, her blows knocking him back to the ground. "Fuck," exclaimed the brunette, "this is fu-, aw shit!"  
  
Taking advantage of the respite his kick to the girl's pelvic area had garnered him, he started back to his feet, grabbed the wheezing Slayer by her pony-tail, and flung her to the ground. Turning to face the Jamaican, he smiled maliciously. "In my day, a pretty little thing like you knew her place, on her knees servicing her master."  
  
Chuckling slightly at the girl's enraged expression, these bitches were so easy to manipulate – all you needed to know was the right buttons to press, he dodged a sloppy right, grabbing the wrist and pulling the girl onto a knifehand to the throat before sweeping her legs from beneath her. He went for a stomp to Kendra's head only for the girl's companion to sweep his legs from beneath him from behind. Hitting the ground on his knees, he started instantly to rise, conscious that for him being on the ground was death.  
  
His eyes widened when Kendra's hands shot out from beside him to grab him around the collar. "Going somewhere?" Try as he might, he couldn't get lose. He screamed as he felt a stake enter his back.

* * *

"You five by five?" Faith eyed her fellow Slayer speculatively as she helped her to her feet. After a fight she was always buzzing, looking to get laid, but she somehow suspected Kendra was too vanilla to help her with that. Besides, she shuddered inwardly, Wes didn't like others touch 'his' property.  
  
"I am fine thank you Faith," Kendra's smile caused butterflies in her stomach. Maybe there was a chance -.  
  
"Oh look, two pretty Slayers in a row."

* * *

"Where are Faith and Kendra?"  
  
Zabuto looked from left to right. "Oh bugger, I was so engrossed in research I didn't notice, where have those girls gone?"  
  
Wesley looked at his fellow Watcher with barely hidden disdain. It looked like he was just like that stupid bugger who'd started all this, Rupert Giles, a liberal who didn't know how to keep a wilful little bitch in line. As his father had always said, a child needs discipline, and a Slayer with her powers needed more than normal. Well Zabuto might be prepared to let his Slayer run wild but he was a Whyndham-Pryce with all that entailed. "I'll cast a locater spell and go look for them," he volunteered, his tone even.  
  
"Ah good man." Zabuto nodded. "I'll keep researching Anyanka."

* * *

Faith glanced at Kendra. "Buffy?" Kendra nodded, her heart breaking at seeing her friend like this. "That case, let's put her out of her misery."  
  
Instantly her companion bounded forward, shooting out into a spinning kick. Buffy giggled before catching the leg at the foot and knee, and flinging Faith into the wall. Instantly Kendra leapt into the attack, throwing a flurry of punches that the diminutive vampire easily dodged before dropping her with a stunning left to the head. Suddenly Buffy giggled, her left leg shooting backwards to catch Faith on the jaw, knocking her back down. "Naughty naughty Slayer shouldn't cheat."  
  
Kendra tried for a leg-sweep, but her adversary cleared her sweeping leg before kicking her in the chest, the blow hitting her with the force of a cannon ball. Wheezing for her breath, she was helpless as Buffy lowered her face to her neck. "Giles wants you alive, but just a little taste."  
  
Suddenly, an explosion boomed out. The vampire screamed and staggered. Kendra looked up to see a furious looking Wesley stood at the end of an alley holding a shotgun. "Grab her," Wes glanced at a stunned Faith, "and come here!"

* * *

"Faith," her Watcher turned to her as Kendra ran into the resistance headquarters, "you've been a naughty girl."  
  
Faith swallowed as she looked at her Watcher, hating the hungry look she saw in his eyes. When he looked like that she knew she was going to get hurt bad. "Thanks Wes-."  
  
"In the back," her Watcher's voice trembled with desire, "now."  
  
For a second she thought of defying her Watcher but she knew what happened to Slayers who disobeyed the Council. "Sure Wes," she whispered. Oh god, what was he going to do to her? 


	8. 4d

Two Slayers (4D/?)  
  
"Wes-."  
  
"Belt up," instantly she quietened. "You know something Faith, my father told me that Slayers are like spirited horses that required a firm hand-," she felt the Watcher's hand gripping her around the jaw, lifting her head up, "to train them. Haven't I been good to you? Allowed you to wear your slapper's clothes? Fed you, kept a roof over your worthless head?"  
  
Faith swallowed. "You've been real good to me-."  
  
"Shut up!" the Englishman glared at her. "And how do you re-pay me? By disobeying me again. I can see I've been far too lax. Put your hands behind your back." After a second she obeyed and shuddered at the feel of him cuffing her hands. She moaned as he covered her eyes with a blindfold, oh god this was going to be bad.  
  
"Please Wes, I've learnt my lesson," Faith begged, her lips drying with fear.  
  
"Little girls should learn to take their medicine," she whimpered deep in her throat as she felt her belt being unfastened and her trousers drop around her ankles. A second later, she gagged as an oily rag was shoved in her mouth. "Wouldn't want anyone to hear your screams would we?"  
  
For a few seconds she could hear the man walking around her, stalking her. Then she heard his voice in her ear, felt his hot breath on her neck and his callused hands stroking her hair with a tenderness that was obscene given the circumstances. "This is for your own good Faith, I don't enjoy this," the husky note of desire in Wes' voice gave lie to his words, "but a trained Slayer is a long-lived Slayer."  
  
She whimpered at the sound of something cracking through the air and winced at the feel of her leather belt slapping into the back of her bare legs. Five strokes later the attack ended. Faith sighed in relief. Maybe he was going to take pity on her. Maybe he realised she had the best of intention- .  
  
A scream would have erupted from her mouth but for the rag stuffed there when a fist collided into her ribs. She realised through her waves of pain that Wesley must have put on his brass knuckles because no human punch could hurt her that much. She struggled to stay upright, conscious that going to ground would make her a too tempting target for her Watcher's steel toed boots. She groaned when the buckle of her belt whipped into her chest, driving precious air from her lungs. She tried to beg him to stop, he liked it when she did that, but her words were muffled by the rag.  
  
Suddenly she heard something whipping through the air and blacked out for a second as a searing pain ripped through her upper back, knocking her to the dusty floor. Through the air roaring through her ears she heard Wesley's disapproving tones. "Weak Faith, weak. If you can't take a little discipline how can you expect to stand against the creatures of the night?" the Watcher tutted before grabbing her by her pony-tail and yanking her to her feet. "Now let's do this again, and this time stay on your feet."  
  
Conscious of the blood trickling down her back and legs and panicked that the Englishman was going to continue until she was dead, she attempted to force her cuffs loose, but found her beaten and battered body not up to the task. In the distance she heard the office door swing open. "What's all this?" Faith felt her stomach hollow, oh god, that was the resistance leader, Wes had invited him to join in too.

* * *

Xander's eyes rolled back as he listened to the older Watcher and his group's two mages discuss this Vengeance demon. He didn't care about demons, he cared about Cordy, his eyes misted over as he remembered cradling her broken body in his arms. He cared about wiping every last vampire from the face of the earth.  
  
He looked around, puzzled, where had that other Slayer, Faith that was her name, gone with her Watcher. Maybe they were planning more direct action. Finding himself cheering at the thought, he looked around but couldn't see either of them in the groups scattered throughout the warehouse floor. "Perhaps they're checking out the armoury," he muttered. Grabbing his pistol crossbow for safety, he hurried to the back of the warehouse. The first three offices were empty, but the fourth....  
  
Bile rose in his throat as he stepped over the threshold to see the brunette Slayer, cuffed, blindfolded, and gagged, stood with her pants round her ankles, and her blood dripping onto the filthy ground. "What's all this?" His guts churned as he noticed the leather belt and the blood- speckled bike chain and brass knuckles.  
  
"This is Council business," the younger Watcher stepped towards him. "Faith took a stupid reckless decision and as such has to be disciplined." The Watcher smiled. "You can join in if you want."  
  
Disgust and rage filled him. Before he knew it he'd hit the Englishman full in the face, knocking him to his knees. "Giles would never have done this!" he roared before kneeing the knelt Watcher in his face, knocking him on his back. In an instant he was on him, pounding the older man's face into a bloody mask, rage blinding him to the Englishman's increasingly weak attempts at retaliation. Finally he grabbed Wesley's skull and twisted, snapping his neck.  
  
For the longest time he stared at the body. He'd killed a human once before – Ethan Rayne had come to town, planning to try and team up with his old running buddy but Xander had got to him first. He hoped he never stopped getting that sick feeling in his stomach from killing a fellow human being, even scum like Wes and Ethan.  
  
Suddenly he became aware of a muffled sobbing behind him. Remembering the Slayer, he hurried over to her. Bile rose in his throat as he surveyed the damage Wesley had done, a cold rage built up inside him, suddenly he wished he'd taken more time over killing the bastard.  
  
Crouching over the girl, he pulled the rag from her mouth. "Please Wes," she gasped. "I'll be good, I know it was stupid running after Angelus. I'm sorry, I'll do as I'm told-"  
  
"Hush," he placed a gentle finger across the Slayer's babbling mouth. "He's not going to hurt you again. I've killed him."  
  
"Noo!" Faith began to thrash wildly. "The Council will kill me."  
  
"Calm down," he placed his hands on the Slayer's shoulders. "No-body's going to kill you. I won't let them."  
  
Releasing his grip on the Bostonian's shoulders he pulled her blindfold off. "Promise?" she asked, her voice child-like.  
  
"I promise," Xander pulled the girl's pants up and fastened them. "Faith, where's the cuff keys?"  
  
"He has them."  
  
"Okay," he pulled the girl up into a sitting position. "Why did you let him hit you?"  
  
"I..it started six weeks after he became my Watcher. I seduced him 'cause I figured if we were screwing he'd be easier on me for training, patrolling, and shit. Then one night I went out partying even though he told me to stay in. When I got in the next morning we had an argument, I told him we weren't exclusive, I could go with who the hell I liked. He told me to get stripped and get in the meat locker for six hours-."  
  
"And you obeyed him?" Xander's blood had chilled.  
  
"H..he said if I disobeyed his training methods then he'd tell the Council he'd got a rogue Slayer and then they'd kill me," which was probably true, judging from the Watcher Diaries he'd read. Faith's eyes filled with tears. "From that moment, if I said or did the slightest thing he'd beat me, make me do real disgusting shit. If you protect me from the Council I'll do anything you want -."  
  
"Faith, I'll protect you because you deserve it, you don't have to do anything you don't want. Except patrol, okay?" the brunette nodded. The cuffs came off. "Listen I'll take you into my quarters, you can have a wash, get changed into some of Cordy's," his heart caught at the mention of his girlfriend, "clothes. Okay?"  
  
"Why are you helping me?"

"Because," Xander paused for a second, there were a dozen different reasons but in the end he went for the simplest. "Because Giles would never have treated Buffy like that." Brushing aside the Slayer's protests, he lifted her into his arms and carried her out of the room, ignoring the mutters his reappearance gained.

* * *

"Good lord," Zabuto's mouth dropped open as he saw Xander walking towards him, a thunderous look on his face and the crying second Slayer cradled protectively in his arms. "What happened to her?"  
  
"Kendra," the American ignored him to speak to his Slayer. "Faith saved your life earlier didn't she?" his Slayer nodded meekly, her eyes filled with horror at her fellow warrior's beaten state. "So you owe her, right?" Kendra began to turn him for guidance. "I want your answer, not his!"  
  
"I owe her," Kendra whispered.  
  
"Good," Xander nodded his approval. "Now," the young resistance leader lowered his precious cargo into Kendra's arms. "It's time for you to pay your debt, okay?" the Slayer nodded hesitantly. "I want you to take her into my quarters – Aura," the young man nodded to a pretty girl, "will show you the way. Wash her, clean her wounds, help her dress, and protect from everybody. Okay?"  
  
"Xander," the whimper came from the east coast Slayer. "I want you to look after me."  
  
"Faith, you'll be fin-, five by five," the man tousled the Bostonian's hair. "I've got some business to attend to and then we'll start about getting you settled in okay?" After a moment the girl nodded. "Good girl."  
  
Once the two Slayers had disappeared with their guide, Zabuto turned to the young man. "Xander what's happened to her? Where's her -."  
  
His words were cut off when the youth grabbed him by the throat and bent him back over the table he'd been studying at. A half-second later there was a switchblade to his throat. "Xander-."  
  
"Back off Amy!" Xander's gaze didn't move from his face. "I'll tell you what happened. I walked in on a cuffed Faith being beaten by Wesley with a bike chain, brass knuckles, and a leather belt. Tell me, is Wesley or Giles the exception?"  
  
Somehow Zabuto knew that his continued existence depended on the sincerity of his answer. "H...he beat her?"  
  
"You're telling me you didn't know?" the pressure from the knife against his throat didn't move an inch, but the young man's eyes changed from homicidal to merely suspicious.  
  
"Given the reputation of his father for bullying perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised," he evaded. Admitting he'd had his suspicions appeared to be a really good way of getting his throat cut.  
  
"And do the Council approve?" still the knife didn't budge.  
  
"Of treating potentials or Slayers like that," Zabuto was horrified at the suggestion. "No of course not!" While few in the Council approved of Rupert's mollycoddling of Miss Summers, an opinion more than borne out given recent Sunnydale occurrences in his own estimation, brutality towards the girls was considered spirit-breaking and counter-productive, not to mention downright distasteful.  
  
"If Wesley's father was considered such a lousy bastard why was his son given Faith's care?" the youth demanded.  
  
"Roger Whyndham-Pryce is a man of considerable power in the Council, a former Field Watcher of some distinction." Zabuto realised he'd started to sweat. He considered shouting for Kendra, but Xander would have slit his throat before she even made it into the room. "With Faith having lost her first Watcher and not even being a potential of long-standing before that, there weren't a lot of takers for the position of her field Watcher. Of those, Wesley had the most Council support."  
  
The young man's nose curled up in disgust. "Damn politics," Zabuto was relieved when the knife moved from his neck but didn't attempt to rise. "Well from now on Faith stays here. She's now the Slayer of Sunnydale, my group and I will-."  
  
"I'm afraid Faith's whereabouts aren't up-."  
  
His words trailed off when the young man again pressed his blade to his throat. "I don't think you're listening," the youth growled. "Your Council had their chance to look after her. They fucked up. They're not getting another chance to brutalise her. I've got two powerful witches, a hundred fighters under my control, most of the remaining cops, and a good part of the community provides intel. After this is over, any one from the Council comes into my town and I'll send them home to merry old England in a body-bag! Am I making myself clear?"  
  
Zabuto swallowed. "Crystal," he croaked.  
  
"Good," the resistance leader stepped back. "Are the others here?"  
  
"Excuse me," Zabuto asked. "The others?"  
  
"Like I said this is our HQ," the Scooby founder glanced around, "but there are six other resistance cells scattered through the city, doing patrols, collecting intelligence. With the deaths of Trick and especially Angelus we've weakened Giles' forces. We out-number them four to one, we've got a chance."  
  
"But you can't!" Zabuto cried.  
  
"Really?" Xander's eyes bored into him. "Tell me why?"  
  
"Because that Anya Cordelia was talking about making a wish to before her death was really Anyanka, a Vengence demon." Seeing the youngster's mouth open, he hurried on. "She grants wishes. Maybe where Cordelia came from everything was better, Giles and Buffy were never turned, Cordelia wasn't killed, Faith's first Watcher never died," although quite how Kendra and her were sisters bewildered him. Perhaps he'd never been assigned her as a Watcher.  
  
"And this helps us how?"  
  
Noting Xander's tone had lost much of its hostility, Zabuto breathed a little easier. "If we summons her here and destroy her amulet, her power source, then the world will return to how it was."  
  
Xander nodded slowly. "How do we know it's any better?"  
  
Zabuto looked around. "It has to be."  
  
The resistance leader stared at him. "What do you need?"  
  
"The assistance of your two mages would be sufficient."  
  
"Fine," Xander nodded. "Percy!" the young man continued to look at him, his gaze unflinching.  
  
"Yes boss?"  
  
"We're going to war, but I want you to pick eight men, real trust-worthy, to stay behind and guard him. He tries to leave with Faith, kill him."  
  
"Xan-."  
  
"You might be telling the truth," Xander stepped towards him. "I really don't know. But I'm not risking a young girl's happiness on a Watcher's word. Do your spell. But betray me or hurt any of my friends, and that includes Faith, kill yourself, it'll go easier on you in the long run." The youth turned to the crowd around him. "Tonight we reclaim Sunnydale!"

* * *

Giles looked up, sensing the approach of an army. He scowled. With the death of Angelus it appeared the humans had grown bold. "Dress dear," he stroked his resident SlayerSadistSlut's golden hair. "We have company." Silly humans, they'd have to be taught their place in the food-chain.

* * *

Zabuto looked down at the pentagram. It seemed the summonsing symbol was correctly executed. "Are we ready?" he smiled at the two nervous mages. "You'll do fine," he soothed. Anything had to be better than this place. Anything.

* * *

The Bronze's double-doors crashed open as a 44 flew through them. In an instant, ten vampires were on the vehicle. A half-second later the car exploded in flames, incinerating the vampires. "Amazing what you can do with remote technology," Xander stepped into the doorway flanked by a score of his best soldiers, his heart thundering. Months of planning, building his team, setbacks, and tragedies hinged on this. Angelus' death gave them an opening.  
  
He looked up to the second floor at the sound of clapping. "Xander, my dear boy," Giles walked into view, the sight of his surrogate father's demonic face making his stomach clench. "As innovative as ever, why I remember your plan for defeating the Judge, ah," the vampire king sighed. "I'm sorry it came to this." Suddenly the former Watcher broke out into laughter. "Who am I kidding? I love this! Kill them all!"  
  
Glass cascaded down as the skylights were shattered by a dozen rappellers flying down, crossbows in hand as they started to decimate the shocked vampires. At the same moment, both the back service entrance and fire exits flew open, the vampire sentries dealt with, as Xander's recruits flooded the club and battle began.

* * *

Zabuto swallowed as Anyanka appeared. "The world, change it back," he commanded. Oh bollocks, he gave up a shining career as an interior decorator to become a Watcher? What had he been thinking?  
  
"A man dares summon me?" Knocking aside the two guards nearest him, and laughing at the pentagram, the demon lunged for him, her hand grabbing him around the throat, steel-hard fingers crushing the flesh.  
  
As soon as the demon was close enough, he grabbed the amulet around her neck, tore it off and threw it to Jonathan. "Break it!"

* * *

Giles watched with concern as Xander cut his way through his vampires, the boy's skills had improved in the past year. "Buffy dear," he purred. "Be a dear and kill Xander for me."  
  
"Can I turn him?"  
  
Giles paused in thought for a second. Turning the resistance's leader against them, there was a sort of delicious irony behind that. And the boy had potential, his ingenuity, and bravery proved that. "You know I could never deny you anything," he murmured. His words were rewarded with a filthily passionate kiss and then the Slayer-Vampire leapt into the melee below.

* * *

"Hello Xander, miss me?"  
  
His blood chilled as Buffy charged towards him, leaving severed limbs and screaming bodies in her wake. "I miss Buffy, not you!" His sword-swing was coat by the blonde at the wrist, his shoulder wrenched out of the socket a half-second later. He grinned defiantly at the vampire as she forced him onto his knees. "You know what's funny?" he demanded. "This world, apparently none of this is real."  
  
The vampire looked confused. "What do you -."

* * *

"I'm sorry about this," Faith said as she patted her sis on the back. God she hated playing nursemaid. 'Cept when she'd played dress-up back in the day, she was lousy at the damn thing. "But I thought you deserved to know."  
  
"You're sure about this?" god she hated the hurt look on Kendra's face, her sis was the best. She just wished Cordy was a fucking demon so she could decapitate her and use her skull as a place ornament.  
  
"Girl, if there's one thing I know it's when a girl's putting the moves on. She was all over him like a cheap suit."  
  
"But why?" Kendra looked bewildered. "Have I said something to offend her?"  
  
Aw fuck, her sis was such an innocent. "This ain't you girl, it's all on her," she consoled her big sis. "Not your fault, Cordy's a bitch from way back. Remember all those stories Xan and Jon told us about her back in the day?" Kendra nodded. "But I told her what's what and what'll happen to her if she even looks at X wrong, she knows what'll happen."  
  
"S..she only did it because she's lonely."  
  
Faith looked up at Tara stood in the doorway. She hadn't noticed the Wicca entering. "If she's lonely she should get a dog, seeing as she's acting like a bitch in heat."  
  
"I..it wouldn't happen if we involved her more in Slaying." Tara's face darkened. "W..what you did to her was wrong, abusing your power like that. You shoul-"  
  
Faith bristled. "What about what-."  
  
"I WAS TALKING!" Faith jumped when Tara shouted at her. Tara never shouted, Tara went all quiet when other people shouted. "You acted like a bully and you should apologise."  
  
Faith snorted. "Like that's going to happ-."  
  
She gulped at the look in Tara's eyes. "B...bullies aren't nice people," her friend scolded. "Are you a nice person, Faith?"  
  
She looked down at the floor. "Yeah," she muttered.  
  
"G...good, then that's settled." Tara nodded. "Tomorrow's Saturday and Cordelia will be working with you in the shop. I think you should apologise for attacking her and ask her to join you in your workouts."  
  
"No way," she gulped when Tara raised an eyebrow. "Ah, what I was going to say that sounds like a really good idea." Fuck, when Tara get so scary?  
  
"E..excellent," Tara beamed. "I'm getting some cocoa, do either of you want some?" Both Slayers shook their heads. "Night then." The wicca walked out.  
  
After a minute, Faith managed to close her gaping mouth. "Fuck Ken," she shook her head. "Remind me never to piss off Tar again."  
  
Kendra nodded, her face ashen-grey. "I think that's wise."


	9. 5

FIC: Two Slayers (5/?)  
  
"You're going away for a whole weekend? Without me?" Faith couldn't believe what she was hearing.  
  
Jonathan gulped. "Well, there's this autograph signing in San Diego-."  
  
Faith's eyes rolled. "So this is a Sci-Fi geek convention, someone from Star Trek or some such shit?" Jonathan shook his head. "Who then?" feet shuffling uncomfortably her boyfriend told her. Faith exploded. "HER! AGAIN! I let you have her poster on the wall and now you want to go to a freakin' autograph session? Nerd much!"  
  
Jonathan shrugged. "I've liked her for years. She was kinda my first crus- "  
  
"Oh great, just great! You've got a living breathing American honey and you wanna hook up with some foreign chick!"  
  
"It's not like that. I just really like her acting."  
  
"Her acting? Sure!" Faith snorted. "One hit film, Jonny. And that was an Arnie vehicle!"  
  
Now it was Jonathan's turn to roll his eyes back. "Besides she's actually American, her name is actually a blend of Albanian and Dan-."  
  
"Guess what! Don't care!" Faith bellowed and leapt to her feet. "Well screw you Johnno! I had this wicked night planned, me you, the back of the movies, but you can go to hell now!" Charging to his dorm room door, she swung it open and charged out. It would be a long time before he got the use of her lips again!  
  
Jonathan stared at the open door. "Well that went well." He sighed before looking up at the poster above his bed. "She doesn't understand the love we share Eliza."

* * *

"Eliza Duckshoot!" God, she was so pissed. After years of being a dateless dork, Jonathan had finally scored with an uber-babe and still the ass was drooling after some Hollywood bitch. And she bet all her publicity photographs were doctored to make her look better - like some plastic Hollywood doll could compare with her! Well, if Jonathan wanted to drool after some uptight cow that was five by five by her, she was going to have some fun and how!  
  
She was still fuming when she reached the campus bar. Shoving the door open, she strode in as if she owned the place, 'cause ten seconds after smiling at the right guys she would. It wasn't a bad place she supposed, not plush or nothing but several leagues up from the drug dens she'd spent her early teens hanging in. She stopped as she recognised the barman. "Aw fuck!" Summonsing her courage, she forced a confident expression and strode up to the bar. "Yo! Xan! Beer!"  
  
Her friend's face fell as he turned towards her. "Faith, you can't come in here, you're too youn-."  
  
"Xman," Faith forced a patient note. "I've been drinking since I was ten. Now either you serve me or I head up to the Fish Tank?" She smiled challengingly. "What's it gonna be?"  
  
Xander looked at her, his eyes pleading. For a moment Faith felt bad about the position she'd put her friend in and was about to go home. Then Xander sighed. "Fine. What to you want?"  
  
"Black Frost looks good." Faith cursed as she reached into her wallet. She only had what was left of her allowance, twelve bucks, on her. Hardly enough for her to get a buzz on, even before being Called she could sink six – eight bottles without feeling it much, as a Slayer she could take three times that. "Damn it," she muttered.  
  
"Can I buy you a drink beautiful?"  
  
She looked up into the eyes of a good-looking brown-haired guy maybe 3 – 4 years her senior. "Why sure handsome," she purred. "Black Frost's my drink. What's your handle?"  
  
The man smiled. "Parker, you?"  
  
"Faith."  
  
"Damn it Faith," Xander grabbed her arm as she made to follow the youth to the table him and his friends were frequenting. "Parker Ahams is one of the biggest sleazes on campus," her friend warned.  
  
Faith winked. "'Preciate your concern X, but I've been handling assholes like him since I hit puberty, I can handle him."  
  
"If you need -."  
  
"I'll be fine," she smiled to show her confidence although inwardly she fumed. Fuck, you'd think she was thirteen year old going out on her first date not a street-hardened Boston southie.

* * *

Xander stared at his friend's back as she slinked her way over to the table with Parker and his buddies, his heart sinking. "Great, just great," he muttered. First day on the job and Faith had to turn up, putting him in one hell of a position. If he didn't let her drink here, he knew she was more than capable of following through on her threat to go down to the Fish Tank and there was no way he was letting that happen. But on the other hand, if Giles found out he'd allowed Faith to drink....  
  
Xander shuddered at the thought. Somehow he doubted there'd be enough left for an autopsy. "My life officially sucks."  
  
"How's that Black Frost going?"  
  
He turned to see his boss stood behind him and nodded. "Just fine Jack," he replied with a sickly smile. "They're drinking it like extremely thirsty fishes."  
  
The man beamed. "That's great. I'll be in the back if there's any trouble."  
  
Trouble? Xander winced. With Faith in the place that was almost guaranteed. "Now where's the number for The Green Berets?" he muttered.

* * *

Faith grimaced as Parker tried another of his lines on her. Please, she'd heard crap like this for years and had stopped being conned by this bs years ago. Any girl who fell for an idiot like this was just asking to be used in her opinion. If he decided buying a couple of drinks gave him privileges later, well she'd soon convince him otherwise. Hiding her distaste at her company, she took another sip of her beer. At least the booze was good. That was something.

* * *

Xander ground his teeth together as he approached the table where Faith and her companions were sat. It had been a slow night, probably because people had walked in, seen Faith and her friends making asses of themselves and left. "Look guys, it's nearly closing time," his voice trailed off when Parker sprang to his feet and turned, revealing a cavemanish face. "Oh crap."  
  
"More beer!" he ducked beneath Parker's first right hook, slammed home a left body shot that had little apparent effect, and caught a jolting uppercut to the jaw that lifted him off his feet and sent him crashing to the floor. Xander attempted to shake his head clear of the stars circling him, guy hit like he carried a tire-iron in his fists. "More beer!" the man growled.  
  
"No!" Suddenly Faith was between him and the changed man, slamming a haymaker into the man's jaw, knocking him backwards. "Not hurt friend."  
  
Xander's words of thanks died on his lips when the Slayer turned to him and he saw whatever had effected Parker had clearly also effected her. "Guess the beer's off then."

* * *

Faith glared at the other members of her tribe until she was satisfied they wouldn't try anything before turning to her friend. Crouching down, she looked into his eyes and smiled. "Friend smell good."  
  
The boy gulped. "You think, 'cause I'm thinking I need a shower oh right about now?"  
  
"Um," she nuzzled her head into man's chest. "Man nice to touch."  
  
"Uh Faith, not that this isn't enjoyable but," she smiled at the way the man wriggled beneath her, it felt good, "we both have significant others."  
  
She looked up, confused. "Not want Faith?" She'd just rescued pretty boy and he didn't want her? Maybe not nice after all. She pouted. "Boy not wanna be friends?"  
  
"Oh boy," the youth muttered before raising his voice. "Remember Jonathan?"  
  
"Jon-at-han," she repeated slowly. "Jon-at-han mate?" She smiled as she remembered a short boy with shy eyes and a brave heart.  
  
"Well I was going for boyfriend but mate would do, yeah," the man who she was hugging confirmed.  
  
Faith beamed. "Find mate!" Jumping up, she leapt through a bar window, ignoring the man's shouts for her to stay. Mate's cuddles were the best.

* * *

Xander groaned as he clambered to his feet, ignoring the ache in his jaw. In his wildest dreams he hadn't thought things could go this bad. Relieved that the other cave-dwellers had apparently also left, he stumbled to the back to phone Giles – wouldn't that be a fun call.  
  
And stopped as he saw Jack pouring some portion or other into the Black Frost kegs.

* * *

Faith smiled as she made her way down the dormitory corridor. "Nice boy," she cooed. "Wicked fun."

* * *

"You idiot!" Giles glared at Xander. "How bloody irresponsible!"  
  
The youth had at least the grace to look ashamed. "Jack hates students he was drugging the booze, other-."  
  
"I don't bloody care!" Giles exploded. "Faith is a minor! If the place had been raided with her record she could have ended up in Juvenile Hall! All the work she's put into straightening herself out, getting back on track, would have been wasted! I expected better of you Xander!"  
  
"Giles," Kendra interrupted. "What are we going to do?"  
  
After shooting Xander a final scowl he turned to his other daughter. "Cordelia, Tara, and I will go to Jonathan's to see if Faith's there. You and him," he gestured towards Xander with a nod, "will go and try and track down the others."  
  
"But what if you -," Xander paled as he turned to him. "Never mind."

* * *

Jonathan looked up as the door to the dorm room he shared with Xander flew open. Instantly he sprang up and grabbed his stake. And dropped it a second later as he recognised the figure stood in the doorway – at least he thought he did. "F....Faith?"  
  
Faith beamed. "Jon-at-han." Faith blushed, his wild girlfriend actually blushed. "Jon-at-han smell good and taste nice. Girl want Jon-at-han."  
  
He swallowed as his girl-friend began to undress. If Faith didn't kill him if he struggled then Kendra or Giles would when they found them. "Help," he croaked.

* * *

"I am very angry with you Xander," Kendra informed her boyfriend. "Faith could have been hurt. Why did you allow her to drink?"  
  
Xander groaned. Et tu Kendra? "She said if I didn't let her drink, she'd have gone to The Fish Tank and they serve kids as young as fourteen in there, drugs too, real low-lifes in there too. At least at the bar I could keep an eye on her," he sighed. "That was the theory anyway. And now, Faith's missing and Giles wants to cut me into little pieces."  
  
Kendra squeezed his arm. "Faith placed you in a very difficult situation. I am sure that once Giles realises it that you will be forgiven."  
  
"Yeah," Xander grimaced. If everyone was okay. Otherwise.....  
  
"Look!" Kendra pointed in the distance. "There they are!"

* * *

"Faith, I think you're under some sort of spell," Jonathan reddened as his girl-friend's lace panties hit the floor. Correction he didn't have to worry about Kendra or Giles killing him, Faith was going to rip him to pieces when she came out of this. "You don't want to do this." He moved to the other side of his bed, all too conscious that Faith could leap over it in a single bound.  
  
Which she promptly did. He gulped as Faith's face darkened. "Jon-at-han not like Faith?" she asked, her doe-like eyes hurt. "Jon-at-han not think me pretty?"  
  
"Ah, uh," Jonathan swallowed. Oh boy, reasoning with Faith at the best of times was difficult, but now. "It's not that Faith, you're beautiful but- ."  
  
"No but," he was cut by Faith pushing him down on the bed. "Faith wants mate now!" Suddenly Faith's eyes dimmed, she half-turned to the door and then fell on top of him. Jonathan looked over Faith's shoulder to see Giles, Tara, and Cordelia stood in the doorway.  
  
"Oh good lord," Giles reddened.  
  
Tara on the other hand was staring at his girl-friend's ass as if mesmerised while a tranquiliser gun brandishing Cordelia was beaming proudly. "Well shooting Faith with a tranq worked for me." The cheerleader wrinkled her nose. "And what was with the 'You Jane, me Tarzan act' anyhow?" Cordelia's beam widened. "Say Giles, can we lock her in your basement until the drug wears off?"

* * *

Kendra's right hand thudded into Parker's jaw, knocking the last of the cave-dwellers back towards him. Xander immediately brought the baton Giles had given him up and smacked into the back of Ahams' head, and watched with satisfaction as the sleaze dropped to the floor. "Ah," he muttered. "That felt good."

* * *

Jonathan looked up at the knock on his door. "Come in!"  
  
"Hi Johnny," Faith walked in, a sheepish expression on her face. "Giles says I was pretty uncontrollable last night but you didn't take advantage or nothing." His girl-friend's face turned impish. "Guy must have a hell of a lot of self-control." Faith sighed. "I'm wicked sorry for storming off last night and for nearly attacking you. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you?"  
  
Jonathan opened his mouth to say it wasn't necessary. Then an evil idea germinated. "Yeah there is actually." He quickly explained.  
  
Faith paled. "No way Johnny," the Bostonian pleaded, using the same doe- eyes that the cave-dweller had the previous night. "Oh please."  
  
He shook his head resolutely. "There's an item restriction," he explained. "If we both go, we can get twice the stuff."  
  
After a second Faith pouted and nodded. "Fine!" she agreed grumpily. "But after this we're even!"

* * *

"Who do you want me to make the poster out to?"  
  
"To Jonathan, All My Love."  
  
Eliza looked up and squinted at the striking leather-clad brunette stood fidgeting in front of her desk. This girl was interesting, a world apart from the usual crowd she got at her autograph signings. She smiled, it was her philosophy to be nice to everyone until they gave you a reason not to. "He your boyfriend?" she asked as she passed the poster back.  
  
The glare the girl gave her as she snatched the poster back was molten-hot. "Yeah!" she snarled, dropping a twenty on the desk between them. "MY boyfriend! Thanks!"  
  
Eliza blinked as the girl stormed out of the memorabilia store. She met the strangest people. 


	10. 6

**Two Slayers (6/?)**

_Previously On Two Slayers:-_

"LEVIOSA!" the shy-looking girl let out a sudden scream. To Josef's amazement the Gem of Amara flew off his finger and fell to the ground.  
  
"Verdammte schlampe!" Eyes gleaming, he started towards the girl only to hear the sound of a crossbow being fired behind him. Spinning round he snatched the bolt out of mid-air before letting out a frustrated bellow, rushing past the youth, shoving him to the floor, and leaping out of the second-floor window. "Scheisse!" But he'd be back and they'd all pay.

* * *

"Which president was responsible for Reconstruction?"

"Oh!" Faith jumped up and down on the spot. "I know this one!" Kendra beamed. "It was JFK!"

Her sister's shoulders slumped. "Faith, the test's on Thursday, two days away, and you haven't -."

"Relax sis," Faith winked. "I'm just messing with ya. It was Honest Abe, JFK was too busy boning MM and messing with the Havanas to do anything much."

"Faith! You should treat these tests more seriously, they could determine our whole future. Remember what-."

Faith rolled her eyes as her sister's scolding washed over her. She loved her big sis with a fierceness that sometimes frightened her, only G meant more to her than Ken, but she took things way too seriously. Besides, it wasn't like either of them had much of a future, they were Slayers for fuck's sake not meter maids. She was down with dying and leaving a hot looking corpse behind. If that was the price she had to pay for getting out of the hell that had been her pre-Slayer life and meeting G and the others then so be it. "Say," she interrupted Kendra's rant. "Christmas Ball soon, how cool will we be, turning up with two college guys." She tilted her head to one side. "Course I don't need the extra coolness, but you..."  
  
"Me?" the look on Kendra's face was best described as dangerous.

Faith sighed theatrically. "Face it sis, you're a teacher's pet."

"Am not!" Her fellow Slayer bristled. "I merely respect their authority."

"Yes Mr. Jones, no Mrs Applegate," Faith mimicked her best bud's accent even as she kept an eye on her fuming companion. "You want me to run an errand for you sir? Why it would be my pleasure!" Faith sighed again. "My big sis a nerd. If I wasn't such a smoking babe I'd be a geek by asso-."

"That's it!"

Faith laughed as the senior Slayer launched herself before skipping out of the way and racing away. "Last one home as to the other's laundry!"

"You're on!"

* * *

"They are the Slayers?" the vampire scoffed. "They're nothing but a pair of excitable little girls. Beautiful I'll grant you and tasty morsels no doubt, but a threat to us? Maybe you're not all I was led to-."

The vampire exploded into dust as Die Faust thrust a stake into his heart. He looked around the other five vampires in the back of the van with him, the leaders of the army he'd built since his defeat of over a month ago. "Any other questions?" the other demons hastily shook their heads. He nodded. "Good," he shifted into his demonic face. "Then this is the plan."

* * *

"Over the past week there have been ten separate attacks in two distinct areas," Giles pointed at the map. "here and here. I plan on splitting our forces -."

"Surely we'd be better staying together?" Kendra interrupted, her eyes shining with the eagerness of a promised fight. "We don't know how many there are after all." "Actually," Giles corrected with a smile. "We do. At one attack the police arrived when the three 'gang members'," the group chuckled at his wry smile, "were hurrying off when they arrived at the scene. Also on two other occasions, there were survivors of attacks who said they were assaulted by a trio of mask-wearing thugs but managed to get inside their houses before they were killed." "So two separate gangs of three then?" Faith commented. 

"It would appear so," Giles nodded. "I suggest splitting our force Xander, Kendra, and Tara in one group to hunt the group situated in the industrial district, and myself, Faith, Jonathan, and Cordelia around the zoo." Seeing Faith's curvy lips parting in a protest he fixed his younger daughter with a firm stare. The Bostonian pouted and looked away. Faith and Cordelia would work together whether they liked it or not.

"Three vampires? Well at least this is gonna be a walk in the park," he heard Faith mutter.

* * *

"A walk in the park, me and my big mouth!" Faith groaned as she stood back to back with her Watcher, eyeing the dozen or so vamps surrounding them. They were so screwed. At least Jonno was safe, having stayed to protect Cordy while the cheerleader found somewhere to park.

"Yes," Giles replied his tone strained and even. "I'm often telling you about that."

Faith raised an eyebrow. "Remind to kick your ass for that later," she commented.

"And yet," the Englishman replied. "I'm strangely unfrightened. Probably because there's not going to be a later."

"Yeah," Faith scowled. There was that.

* * *

"Where are they all coming from?" Xander ducked a kick but winced as another vamp caught him with a left to his shoulder, that was going to bruise tomorrow. If there was a tomorrow.

"I don't know!" Kendra bellowed to him as she beheaded another demon, he thought it was her fifth of the night, he'd got three, and Tara one before she was knocked out, even now he stood over her body. But still they came, perhaps five times as many as the three they'd expected. "This was a trap!" "You think?" Xander shouted back. And if they were in an ambush, he just bet G-Man and the others were under-going something very similar. Divide and conquer. "Gotta love the classics," he muttered. 

"W..what are we going to do?"

* * *

"AHHHH!"

"Calm down!" Cordy snapped as she eyed the alleyway, it might scratch, but it was just wide enough.... Gunning the engine she sent her car flying forward, straight at the mass of vampires surrounding her friend and Faith.

The car entered the alley with a roar, the impact of the car hitting the first vampires with shuddering force, sending screaming demons flying into the air to land in ungraceful heaps. And immediately started to get up. "Get in!" she screamed as the car screeched to a halt just in front of a stunned looking Giles and Faith.

"Rescued by Queen C," Faith scowled. "I'm so fucking humiliated."

"You could stay here!" Cordelia pointed out as she pushed a vamp off the side of her car.

"Uh," the Bostonian shook her head before side-kicking a vampire into some near-by garbage cans. "Screw that. Not that proud." The east coast transplant waited until Giles was climbing into the car before herself hurdling into the back seat. 

"Cordelia," Giles sounded breathless. Mind you at his age he was practically prehistoric. "Kendra and the others-."

"Yeah," she snapped as she shoved the pedal to the floor and the car flew towards the exit, squashing two vampires underneath as it went. "Worked that out for myself. Was in the top ten of my class."

"What class?" Giles asked. "Advanced bosoms?" The Englishman wilted at her glare. "Sorry, I thought I'd lighten the mood." 

"Don't," she pulled the car round a corner, narrowly avoiding a black van coming towards them.

"Fuck C!" Cordelia smirked at Faith's fearful cry. Oh she was having fun tonight.

* * *

"No!" Kendra leapt into the air, pirouetting into a spin kick that collided with three vamps' faces, before landing beside Xander as he crumpled to the ground, a glazed look in his eyes. Between the three of them they'd taken down ten vamps, Tara one, Xander four, and her five, but now. She looked around the five vampires circling her, trying to ignore the weariness in her body and the tears burning in her eyes. She'd failed. Xander was going to -.

"Hey sis! Heads up!" Suddenly Faith was flying through the sky to land beside her, Cordelia's car screeching to a halt beside them, blocking the vamps' path to Xander and Tara. Faith winked at her. "We gonna finish this?" 

She beamed at her sister, her exhaustion vanishing. "Lets!" Jumping forward, she thrust her stake through the heart of the nearest vampire, enjoying his brief look of shock before he burst into ash. Sensing a demonic presence behind her, she leapt into the air, doing the splits so that her would-be attacker ran under her legs. Cursing, the vampire spun to face her, his taloned hand slashing at her. Kendra swayed away from the attack, grabbed his wrist and pulled him onto her stake. Through the vampire's dust she saw the final vampire turn to run, she hefted her stake to throw at him.

"No! We need him alive to tell us who he works for!"

"Geez G!" Faith cursed as she sprinted after their quarry. "Make things easy for a Slayer why don't ya?"

"First one to catch him," Kendra gasped between heaving breaths. "Gets the other's allowance for this week!"

"Deal!" Faith went to hurdle a trash can only for her foot to catch on its edge, throwing her into the air. "Ah crap!"

Kendra cast her sister a worried glance. She burst out laughing to see Faith face first in a trash can, uttering garbled curses as Jonathan, who'd obviously chased after them, pulled her out by her jeans. 

Still laughing, she turned a corner.

And walked into a right to the head. Head ringing, she stumbled backwards, just out of range of the southpaw demon's follow-up left hook. Regaining her composure, she pulled her right leg back. The moment the demon's eyes shifted to her foot, she shifted her weight and launched into a left-footed crescent kick. 

Her attack smashed into the demon's jaw with perfect accuracy, shattering bone and knocking the vampire onto its back. Before it had a chance to rise, she was on it, kneeling across its throat, her stake thrust into its distended stomach. "My Watcher would be wanting to know who," she began to drag her stake up through the portly vampire's belly, spilling blood as she did so, "sent you."

"Die Faust!" the vampire screamed.

Kendra raised an eyebrow. "I'll be thanking," she thrust her stake into the demon's heart. "You." She turned around to see Faith hurrying up behind you. "You'll be owing me thirty dollars," she crowed.

"No I won't," the Bostonian stuck her tongue out. "G found out about me cutting class and I'm only getting ten bucks this week." 

Kendra's eyes widened. "And would you have told me that if you'd won?"

Faith snorted. "Do I look stupid?"

"Well," Xander's voice trailed off at her sister's look. "Are we all alright?" After their nods Giles beamed. "Splendid. Now let's get in Cordelia's car and head back to my house -." 

"I'm walking," Faith shook her head. "No way am I getting in a car with that crazy bitch any time soon."

"Faith!" Kendra was shocked at her sister's ungratefulness. "Cordelia saved all our lives!"

"Nearly fucking ended it too. Bitch is fucking loco!" 

"Yes well," Giles sniffed. "Now you know how I feel when I give you driving lessons."

"To quote Smokey Robinson 'I Second That Emotion'," Xander grinned. 

"Hey!" Faith pouted. "No fair, Slayer reflexes!"

"Yes," Giles commented. "But unfortunately not all of us have Slayer bladders." Their Watcher reddened when they all turned to him. "Oh dear, that sounded much better in my head."

* * *

Die Faust scowled as he watched the Slayers and their friends joke from the shadows. All his planning, recruiting vampires from across the state gone to waste. He'd be back though, and those two girls would beg to die.

* * *

"Then we're agreed, given Kendra's killing of Sunnydale's deputy mayor and Rupert Giles' refusal to allow her to be tested in the time-honoured tradition she has to die?" Travers hid a smirk as each of the Ruling Board's seven members nodded their agreement. "Now, as to the thornier matter of the Slayer Faith. While she has not been involved in any wrong-doing, it is unlikely that Mr. Giles would allow her to be tested when her time comes in a few months time. How do we vote in her matter?" This time the vote was five to two in favour of Faith's execution, Travers mentally noted the dissenters, there could be no weakness in HIS Council, before nodding. Excellent, killing Faith would return the control of the Slayer line to where it should have always lain. In the hands of the Council and not some bloody renegade.

"Sir," it was Joesph Stevenson, a good man, the man who should have been the Field Watcher to start with. If only he'd taken control earlier. "Our own extraction team proved inadequate the last time, how do you intend to deal with them?"

Travers hesitated before replying. Here was the controversial part of his plan. "I intend to call in the Order," seeing the horror on the others' faces he continued. "Gentlemen, sometimes dark times call for good men to work with evil. This isn't our fault, it's Rupert Giles."


	11. 7

**FIC: Two Slayers (7/?)**

"Miss Chase! Cordelia!"

Cordy turned at the voice behind her. Having moved into a dorm a week ago, she was still getting used to all the people. "Riley isn't it?" she smiled at the handsome man. "One of Professor Walsh's assistants?"

"It is," he confirmed. The TA shuffled from foot to foot. "I was wondering if," the youth swallowed. "If you'd like to go out some time?" the TA smiled weakly. "If you'd like to."

Cordelia stared at the young man for a second before replying. "I'm sorry," an image of Xander's smiling face flashed before her eyes. "But while I'm flattered, I'm trying to get over someone right now. I'm not in a good place right now."

"Whoever he is, the man's a fool." Riley smiled painfully. "Well I tried."  
  
Cordelia opened her mouth to comfort the man, explain further. Her eyes widened as she noticed something in the corridor behind her. "Harmony!"

* * *

Riley's heart dropped at the girl's negative reply. Even as he struggled to find a way to extricate himself with as much dignity as possible, he saw the girl pale and her eyes fill with fear as she looked over his shoulder. Puzzled, he glanced over his shoulder to see a small blonde hurrying towards them. "Hostile 17," he muttered even as his jaw dropped. How had she got loose?

* * *

"It's been done?"

"Yes ma'am."

Professor Walsh nodded at her subordinate's reply. "Dismissed," she brusquely ordered, Once the junior scientist had gone, she glanced around her space-age lab, a beaming smile slowly spreading across her face. Engineering the escape of a vampire had been a necessary risk, she'd not wanted the soldiers to find out about her actions, but she had to test the inhibitor chips. She'd minimised the risk by selecting the stupidest of the vampires, all they had to do now was wait and see.

And if Hostile 17 killed some civilians, well it was a worthy sacrifice, a stepping-stone in building an army of vampire soldiers to protect America. And to make her, she smiled slightly, President Walsh.

* * *

Harmony grinned as she looked down the narrow corridor. She'd escaped those soldier types, all very nice brawn but no brain – no match for her smarts, and now she was looking for food. And who did she find? Her old friend, Cordelia Chase. Now having her as a minion would be payback for all her high school years. And her friend, her eyes narrowed, one of the hunky soldiers, all yummy even without his uniform. Oh, how lucky was she? "Oh cooee!" she waved at her old friend. "Cordelia!"

Cordelia grabbed the boy's wrist. Thinking quickly, she forced a smile. "You just got lucky," she babbled. "That girl's my stalker, real weird, we need to get inside, away from her. Follow me."

Cordelia dragged the dazed young man into her room, slammed the door shut and pushed her companion against it. "Here," she passed the man a cross. "Take that, she's scared of religion, her parents were atheists." If that wasn't the lamest crap, she mused. "She's also strong, so lean against the door, I'll get something to keep her out, hold the door."

She hurried into the bathroom and pulled out her mobile, quickly found the number she wanted and dialled it. "Hurry up Kendra!"

* * *

"So he's there, with this huge bunch of flowers in his hand and blushing like crazy!" Faith only just managed not to roll her eyes as Kendra extolled Xander's virtues. Again. It was the same every patrol after Xander and Kendra went on a date, she'd go on and on about how wonderful her boyfriend was. One night she was going to fill big sis in what her and Jonathan got up to on their dates – then it would be Kendra and not Xman doing the blushing.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her fellow Slayer's phone ringing. In an instant, Kendra was talking into the phone. "Yeah?" the Haitian Slayer's face turned serious. "We'll be there asp!"

Faith raised an eyebrow as her sis turned and started running towards the college. "What's the sitch?" she yelled as she chased after the older Slayer. "Something up with G?" Faith felt her heart shrivel at the thought. They had to protect him.

"No," her sister replied, her breath coming easily despite the speed they were moving at. "Harmony's turned up at Cordelia's!"

"Ah shit!" she didn't much like Cor right now, but she didn't want to see her dead or turned. Hell, eternal Cordy, she shuddered at the thought.

* * *

"Okay!" Riley shouted as the beautiful Californian hurried into the bathroom, wondering why she didn't grab the office chair by the bed. But at least it gave him the chance to, he reached into his jacket and pressed his emergency pager, to send for help. "I'll hold," he winced when the vampire punched the door, it wouldn't hold her off for long. "The door!" He couldn't help but wonder why the girl had given him a cross, what a coincidence her being scared of religion and now being a vampire.

"Great!" Cordy hurried out. "Damn!" she shouted before grabbing the chair and hurrying over to the door. "I'm always moving the furniture."

Ah, Riley nodded mentally, that explained it. Women, they'd forget their heads if they weren't screwed on.

* * *

"What's that?" Forrest looked up at the beeping.

"Riley's beeper he's in Luton House!" Graham retorted, his eyes fixed on the console of their underground control room.

"The girls' dorm?" Forrest grinned. "And he's paging to boast, he got lucky? Way to go Finn!"

"No," Graham turned to him, his eyes serious. "It's a hostile alert!"

"Ah hell," instantly Forrest slammed his fist down on the general alert. "Let's go!"

* * *

Giles grabbed his coat even as he spoke into the phone. "Xander! It's me, there's trouble at Cordy's room. No, she hasn't decided to enter a nunnery!" Giles shook his head, that boy. He approved of Kendra's relationship with Xander, he was a fine youth but why couldn't he take anything seriously? "Harmony's turned up there!" he heard a click. "Xander? Hello, Xander!" Throwing the phone down, he grabbed the keys and hurried out.

* * *

"Let me in!" Harmony screamed. Despite her vampire enhanced strength she was struggling to get through the door, for some reason she wasn't as strong as normal, she knew there'd been something wrong with the blood they'd fed her while prisoner. And she needed to feed. Snarling, her vampire face showing, she tore the nearby fire extinguisher off the wall and raised it to slam through the door.

"Hey Harm." Turning at the vaguely familiar voice, she caught a hard right to the nose, knocking her across the hallway. Blinking her eyes clear, she glared at her attacker who returned her hateful look with a smirk. "Always wanted to do that."

"Faith!" Harmony spat, the brunette was with her friend, the other skank. Leaping to her feet, she grabbed the fire extinguisher and raised it over her head, meaning to launch it as a weapon.

"Hostile 17!"

She turned her head, saw several gas-masked troops behind her and a number of guns levelled at her. "Oh crap!"

* * *

Kendra looked at her sister. "What is going on?"

Faith shrugged. "You're asking me?" her sis winked. "You're the brains, I'm the hotness of this operation."

Even as Kendra opened her mouth to loftily reply that she was the brains AND the beauty of their partnership one of the soldiers fired at the annoying vampire who'd once been the even more irritating Harmony Kendall. "Oh crap!" screeched the vampire. The bullet missed its target and crashed into the extinguisher.

Instantly the room was filled with smoke. "Oh well done!" Faith screamed at the soldiers even as they both proceeded to cough their lungs up. "Now where is she?"

* * *

The instant the bullet hit the extinguisher, the hallway filled with a grey mist. Grinning slightly, Harmony hurried towards the two blinded and coughing Slayers. The vampire who killed two Slayers at once, that would be bigger than being the Chief Cordette! Reaching out, she went to grab hold of Kendra's hair.

And screamed as a pain lanced through her head, causing her to stumble away in agony. Confused and scared, she decided that escape was definitely the best option and hurried out of the hall, and out into the campus only to bump into a firm chest. "What the hell!" 

She looked up at the youth she'd bumped into. Her eyes widened in recognition. "Harris!" she bared her teeth to bite him.

And hit the floor a second later when the same white-hot pain erupted through her head. She looked up to see Xander, a grin on his face, and a baseball bat in hand. "Oh if only this was ten years ago." And then her head exploded in pain again.

* * *

Xander stared down in confusion at the body at his feet. Normally his tactic when dealing with a vamp was break one of its limbs and then stake it, hence the bat. But there was something different about Harmony, other than the obvious retardation, something that warranted investigation.

"Don't we kill them now?" he looked behind him to see Giles leaping out of his car.

"There's something different about her," he replied.

"It's Harmony Kendall," Giles chided, "did you really expect the idiotic drooling to stop just because she's a vampire?" 

"It's not that," Xander replied. "Well not only that," he amended.

Suddenly the doors crashed open and his two girls ran out. "Grab her and get in the car!" Faith ordered.

* * *

"So when you went after Harmony you were met by soldiers, and she herself admits to being captured by a military unit?"

"They ignored my rights as an undead American!" Harmony screamed from the seat they'd chained her to.

Giles sighed. "Xander, we don't need to listen to her prattle anymore." A half-second later and there was the sound of staking. "Thank the lord."

"G-Man!" he glanced across to see Xander picking a computer chip out of the dust. "You think this is how they stop her from being able to do violence?"

"Quite possibly," he nodded.

"G," he glanced at Faith. "What does it all mean?"

"I suspect the government has some black-ops unit investigating demons. For what I reason I shudder to guess."

"Then," Xander looked grim, "We've got a problem."

"Indeed we have," he agreed.

* * *

"There's no sign of Hostile 17?"

"No ma'am."

"And no clue as to how she escaped?" Walsh hid a relieved sigh at the soldier's shake of the head. She was in the clear. Returning to business, she glanced at the reports before her. "The two girls that confronted Hostile 17, they were definitely non-demon?" the soldier nodded. Walsh pursed her lips in thought, the descriptions her troops had given her of the two intruders were less than detailed and contradictory to boot. It could be a coincidence, but she didn't believe in them. "Ms. Chase disavowed all knowledge when discreetly questioned about them?" again the soldier nodded. "In that case, have a watch put on her. I want those two girls!"


End file.
